Effect of counterface material for abrasive wear of Cercidiphyllum japonicum wood on three-body abrasion

A three-body abrasion test with a loose abrasive grain scattered on a variety of plastic counterface materials is conducted for Cercidiphyllum japonicum wood (katsura wood). The effect of the counterface material in rubbing with the katsura wood is investigated. The results show that a peak wear coefficient exists for the axial, tangential and radial sections of the katsura wood specimen when rubbed with a counterface material. The peak in the wear coefficient is also recognized in the plastic specimen experiments. The peaks in three-body abrasion experiments for both the katsura wood and plastic specimens are closely related to the variable of material yield stress. The peak on katsura wood specimen occurs when the yield stress of the counterface material is approximately twice as large as that of katsura wood, and the peak on the plastic specimen occurs when the yield stress of the counterface material is approximately the same as that of the specimen. The difference in the results between the katsura wood and plastic material could appear to be due to the change in embedding balance of the loose abrasive grain, which is likely affected by the porous wood structure.