A novel method to map and quantify wear on a micro-scale

The present work first introduces and then demonstrates the possibilities of a novel high resolution topographical difference method. The method comprises two techniques to measure the actual local wear volume and to map the distribution of wear. Both techniques are based on comparing the topography of the same surface region before and after testing. The combination of mapping and measuring the wear makes it a valuable method both for wear testing and for fundamental studies on wear. The method has no principal restriction to a specific topographical technique. In the present investigation, however, only the atomic force microscope (AFM) has been used. To investigate and demonstrate the techniques, four tests have been performed. Three tests involved changing the initial topography of ground steel specimens by scratching or polishing. The fourth demonstration involved the wear of hydraulic motor cam rollers. These techniques promise to bring evaluation of wear to a new level of sensitivity and detail. The extremely high resolution may improve tribological testing of real machine elements by reducing the need for excessively accelerated tests or extremely long test times. (C) 1998 Published by Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved.