Static friction and adhesion in polymer–polymer microbearings

The starting process, i.e., transition from static to kinetic friction in polymer–polymer microbearings, was studied. Load, sliding speed and time of contact before starting were varied during the experiments. AFM studies of rubbing surfaces were performed and the real surfaces were brought into contact in computer simulations to evaluate the adhesive and frictional interactions. Correlation between observed static friction force, adhesive force and calculated friction force characteristics vs. time was found.