High velocity wear: Experiments and modeling

Mechanical wear at high sliding speeds is an important consideration in designing more efficient and effective electromagnetic launcher components. Understanding the influence of sliding velocity, contact pressure, and material properties on wear rates is important in developing predictive models for design. A novel inertia loaded wedge experiment is employed at Georgia Tech to study wear at sliding speeds and contact pressures in excess of 1,000 m/s and 100 MPa for a 6061-T6 aluminum slider on a C110-H2 copper guider. Test results showed a transition from mild to severe wear took place at approximately 30.5 cm or 1,000 m/s, which corresponds to a mechanical heating rate of 100 × 10⁹ N/m·s. Aluminum deposition on the guiders was quantified using a white light interferometer and plotted as a function of position and velocity. A normalized wear rate model in the severe wear region was developed.