Analytical Study on the Frictional Behavior of Sliding Surfaces Depending on Ceramic Friction Materials

Friction material, as the main component in a bearing support, allows frictionless behavior between the two connected structures. Previous studies on friction material considered polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) and attempted to analyze the resulting friction behavior balance. However, aging PTFE loses its frictionless performances, because PTFE is crushed, causing it to tear, or the lubricant is removed. The performances of the friction material should thus be maintained to preserve the performance of structures. To overcome these issues, this study applies a ceramic friction material owing to its advantages of high strength, low friction, and low deformation. The frictional behavior is investigated on a full-scale model using Finite Element Analysis (FEA) according to the edge type of the ceramic friction material. The main design variables include four edge types, namely, general, camber, round and taper types. The results confirm that the modified edge types (camber, round and taper type) reduced the stress and deformation which, in turn, improved the friction behavior.