Dry Metallic Friction as a Function of Temperature Between 4.2°K and 600°K

Abstract

Coefficients of static friction of six metals (Fe, Ni, Cu, Pb, Sn, and Zn) have been measured at temperatures ranging from liquid helium up to room conditions (and in two cases above this). Shear strengths and hardnesses of these metals were measured over the same range of temperatures. It was found that in spite of the generally large variation of both of these latter quantities with temperature, their ratio is in most cases dependent, to only a slight extent, on temperature, following rather closely the change of the static-friction coefficient with temperature. This fact tends to substantiate the adhesion theory of friction proposed by F. P. Bowden.