MEASURING THE COEFFICIENT OF FRICTION OF POLYETHYLEN ON SNOW KINETIC FRICTION ON SNOW

ABSTRACT: Experiments were done in the freezing chamber with polyethylen specimens sliding on ice using a tribometer. The coefficient of friction was measured as a function of the surrounding temperature (varyied between-25°C and O°e) and the pressure on the slider (varyied between 50 MPa and 300 Mpa). The coefficient of friction is strongly depending on the temperature of the ice surface. It is on its minimum around-3°C. In the temperature range between-3°C and O°C the coefficient of friction is increasing with increasing temperature. In the temperature range between-3°C and-25°C the coefficient of friction is increasing with decreasing temperature. The results correspond well to the idea of three different components forming the overall kinetic friction. At low temperatures dry friction dominates, whereas with increasing temperature a more lubricated friction decreases the coefficient of friction and for even higher temperatures capillary drag effects increase the friction again