Sliding Contact Frictional Behavior in Sodium Environments

A study has been made of and friction phenomena associated with rubbing surfaces (primarily molybdenum) in sodium environments. Operating conditions include vacuum or argon environments and specimen temperatures from 80 to 1300 F. Sliding speeds were about one half inch per minute and contact stresses were about 100,000 psi. Sliding specimens consisted of a ball sliding on a flat rectangle. Wear and friction behavior were found to be influenced by surfaces films which were modified by the presence of liquid sodium. Contributed by the ASLE Technical Committee on Bearings and presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Society of Lubrication Engineers held in Philadelphia. Pennsylvania. April 1961.