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The ice friction behavior of various microtextured polymer surfaces was studied with respect to ice temperature and applied load using a customized linear tribometer. Similar micropillar patterns were replicated on polypropylene and two rubber compounds, and when hierarchical micro–micro textures were present, all the materials exhibited superhydrophobicity. Taller protective micropillars were shown to be crucial for protecting the smaller microtextures from abrasive wear. The mechanical properties of the polymers affected the sliding friction of the microtextured surfaces on ice. High loading of hierarchical textures on rigid polypropylene or operation near the ice melting point tended to increase its adhesion tendency or resisting behavior. The sliding performance of the hard and soft rubber compounds was temperature-dependent, and the texture on the soft rubber influenced the sliding friction differently depending on the ice temperature. Consequently, textural modifications of the sliding surface enabled a certain degree of control over the sliding friction behavior on ice.

Elastomers are currently used intensively in various industrial applications. However, their deployment in dry tribological contact is normally inhibited by their poor dry sliding friction behaviour due to their intrinsically high adhesive characteristics. This problem is normally addressed in the industry by using various fluid (greases or oils) or solid (coatings or lacks) lubricants. Alternatives to the use of lubricants for tribosystems involving elastomers exist in the form of modifications of the elastomer composition or by reducing their effective nominal contact area by using surface texturing. The latter approach of reducing the adhesive nature of elastomers by surface structuring is the main focus of the present study. Two different micro-sized structures (consisting of micro-pits) were produced on thin Al inlays using a microscopically scaled punching process. These inlays were thereafter glued onto laboratory-scale injection moulds. These micro-pitted moulds were subsequently used to produce injection moulded micro-pillared Liquid Silicone Rubber (LSR) pads. The present study was focused on three different aspects: 1. Determination of the degree of replication of microstructures from injection moulds to the surface of LSR pads; 2. Evaluation of any possible friction reduction induced by a decrease of the nominal contact area through micro-texturing of LSR pads in dry tribological tests; and 3. Evaluation of the wear resistance of micro-pillared LSR pads under dry conditions. The results have shown that successful production and relatively accurate replication of micro-pitted structures from injection moulds onto LSR pad surfaces in the form of micro-pillars may be achieved. Furthermore, it was shown that a decrease of the effective nominal contact area through micro-pillars may enable a reduction of friction in comparison to the benchmark (unstructured LSR pads), but only for low normal loads where the adhesive component of friction is playing a determining role. Finally, wear tests have shown that the wear resistance of both micro-pillared structures produced on LSR pads under dry conditions against Al or PA6.6-GF30 was relatively poor. Both structures exhibited extensively worn regions after a testing distance of 11 m: structure 1 showed a larger worn area ratio than structure 2 (ratio worn area/total area ~45%–60% for structure 1 and ~30% for structure 2).

Tribological conditions in bulk metal forming processes are characterized by high contact pressures and large relative movements at high velocities between the tool and the workpiece. In addition, significant surface enlargements and elevated temperatures can occur. It is very challenging to reproduce such contact conditions on pin-on-disc tribometers. In this study, a method for simulating the contact conditions of a metal forming process on a pin-on disc tribometer is presented. Special test samples have been designed in order to achieve high contact pressures and surface enlargements with a homogeneous distribution of these quantities within the contact zone. It is shown that the test method delivers reproducible results and enables the detection of small changes of the contact conditions. Furthermore, microstructural changes of the real contact surface can also be simulated, which was verified by SEM imaging.

The influence of temperature on friction and wear of unlubricated DIN 100Cr6 steel/steel contacts was studied in different anaerobic gaseous atmospheres, namely argon (Ar), nitrogen (N 2 ) and carbon dioxide (CO 2 ), and air atmosphere was used as benchmark. Tribological experiments were performed at high temperature (200 °C) and the results were compared with previously published results from experiments performed at ambient temperature (20 °C). Reciprocating ball-on-disc tribological tests were conducted with high contact pressures (maximum initial contact pressure of 1.5 GPa). In all anaerobic gas atmospheres at high temperature, lower friction and wear were measured than in air atmosphere. The lowest friction and wear were measured in CO 2 atmosphere; they were slightly higher in N 2 atmosphere and even more slightly higher in Ar atmosphere. In all anaerobic atmospheres, different oxidation kinetics of steel surfaces occurred as compared with air atmosphere. For N 2 and CO 2 atmospheres, XPS analyses of the wear debris showed an increased concentration of non-carbidic carbon and furthermore for the CO 2 atmosphere, iron–carbon–oxygen layers were also found which probably provided the very favourable friction and wear properties observed in this atmosphere. In N 2 and CO 2 atmospheres, higher wear and friction were observed at high temperature than at ambient temperature, which indicates that at high temperature, a deterioration of the beneficial properties of the N 2 and CO 2 -reacted tribolayers occurred. On the contrary, in Ar atmosphere at high temperature, a decreased adhesion and a significantly lower wear as compared with ambient temperature was observed.