In-situ Measurements of Surface Temperature Fields on Ring-Block Contact Surface under Friction Using an Infrared Thermography

Measurement of Surface temperature in friction has drawn extensive attention in modern industry, especially in manufacture. When the temperature in friction exceeds a given value, the wear of parts will be accelerated. Some of the failed parts exhibited enormous thermal damage. Infrared thermography(ITG), sometimes called infrared(IR) imaging system, provides a quantification of the degradation in thermal performance of machine in operation and can be used to identify degrading parts for replacement before failures become immanent. A novel test technique is described in which surface temperatures were measured during tests of a rotating ring and a flat block which had a thermocouples embedded under its contact surface. The technique involves measurement of the radiation emitted by specimen immediately adjoining the ring-block contact region using a Charge Coupled Device (CCD) based ITG. By using an appropriate calibration procedure, measured radiation values arc converted to temperatures. Novel aspects of the experimental technique are non-intrusive and full-field dynamic measurement at high spatial resolution and high sensitivity. This technique will facilitate present study of thermal damage and multi-scale thermal models in friction.