Experimental evaluation of the main parameters influencing friction between polyamide fibers and influence of friction on the abrasion resistance

Friction is one of the key factors in the manufacture of ropes, and has an important influence on the mechanical behavior of many fiber assemblies. For this reason, the understanding and the evaluation of the coefficients of friction between fibers is an essential step in the development of numerical rope models. This paper describes tests on a modified, upscaled version of the ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials) standard yarn-on-yarn abrasion test device, which allows measurement of the friction coefficient between polyamide rope yarns. It is shown that the inter-fiber angle has a significant influence on the friction coefficient, and the direction of movement relative to the filament has to be considered in the determination of this coefficient. A normalized representation allows friction coefficients measured for a range of test conditions to be plotted on a single curve. The abrasion test device allows the friction coefficient to be measured throughout abrasion tests. It is concluded that lower friction leads to higher abrasion resistance and longer lifetime