2021.03.

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Rolling Friction.
Friction Instability
Lecture 6

Rolling Friction Coefficient (μr)

• Coefficient of friction due to rolling (μr) is generally smaller than that
caused by sliding action. Therefore wherever possible rolling friction
compared to sliding friction is desired.
• μr is defined as the force required to maintain steady rolling, divided
by the load carried by the roller.
• Rolling friction coefficients often depend on hardness of contacting
solids. On increasing hardness, elastic deformation under load
decreases and therefore, the value of μr decreases.
• For hard smooth steel rollers, the coefficient of rolling friction ranges
between 0.01 and 0.001.
• A roller or sphere made of soft material when rolled over other soft
surface, generates a higher level of rolling friction.
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Sources of Rolling Friction

• Let’s consider a hard steel ball which
rolls over a softer rubber such as shown
in the right Fig. As it rolls along, the ball
displaces rubber elasto-plastically
around and ahead of it.
• The force required to depress rubber is
almost equal to the observed rolling
friction. Thus, the rolling friction is
essentially a measure of the force
required to deform other material.
• With a very bumpy (elastic, flexible)
rubber rolling friction will be lesser
compared to a very soggy (soft, viscous)
rubber.
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Examples of Rolling Friction

• Ball bearings
• Rolling are made of high strength materials
having hysteresis losses lesser than 1%.
Due to such materials μ = 0.001.
• The elastic hysteresis of is phenomena displayed by rubber band which was
harder to stretch when it was being loaded, than when it was being unloaded.
• In practice, the balls must be surrounded by cage to separate them
and prevent the rubbing on one another. But sliding between the
cage and balls occurs, and this sliding friction is often far greater than
the rolling friction. Lubricants are used to reduce the sliding friction
between balls and cage and to prevent corrosion of the metal parts.
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Examples of Rolling Friction

• Automobile Tires
• In free rolling, the tire is deformed as it meets the road surface and
recovers as it leaves. If there is negligible slip between tire and road the
energy loss is not large and μ = 0.01 to 0.03. However, if the tire is made of
a rubber with a higher hysteresis loss (or filled with lesser air-pressure), the
rolling friction is larger and there is a larger power loss.
• High hysteresis loss by tire, increases controllability (better gripping of the
road during accelerating, decelerating or cornering) and comfort (acts as
shock absorber in passing over rough road). Therefore, automobile tire
material provides trade off between "rolling friction", "Controllability" and
"Comfort".
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Friction Induced Vibrations

• Difference between static and kinetic friction coefficients, initiates a
“stick-slip” (grip-slide) or instability process. Instantaneous sliding speed
of an object does not remain close to the average sliding speed and total
friction coefficient decreases as velocity increases.
• Possible reasons for “stick-slip” phenomenon:
• Interlocking of asperities during stick phenomenon but separation during sliding.
• Adhesion during stick action and breakage of weld joint during sliding.
• Electrostatic charge during stick event.
• To avoid this phenomenon either:
• Increase operating speed or
• Reduce the difference between μs and μk.
• Overall stick-slip behavior of systems depends on stiffness, inertia, damping
and magnitude of unbalanced force.
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Friction Instability
• Friction instability generally occurs due to large difference in the
value of static and kinetic coefficient of friction.
• Ideally lubricated condition having coefficient of friction equal to
0.00025 shall be preferred, but there is a possibility of variation in
static and kinetic coefficient of frictions.
• If we assume that static coefficient of friction under lubricated
conditions is equal to 0.01 and kinetic coefficient of friction is equal
to 0.00025, then this lubricated contact may not be preferred.

Damped Vibrations
• To understand friction instability let
us consider system shown in Fig. on
the right.
• Unbalance force (static – dynamic
friction force) cause a sudden
acceleration.
• The velocity v of mass M increases
until the drive force falls to dynamic
friction force. Eventually M comes to
rest.

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Damped Vibrations
• Mathematical model of system:
d 2x dx
M 2  C  Kx  0 (6.1)
dt dt
• M – mass of the block
• C – damping force
• K – system stiffness
C
• Introducing damping factor:  
2 MK
• ζ – damping ratio.
K
• and natural frequency: n 
M
• ωn – undamped natural frequency;
d 2x dx
 2  2n  n2 x  0 (6.2)
dt dt 10

Damped Vibrations
• There are three possible situations, which we can derive from Eq.(6.2)
d 2x dx
 2
 2n  n2 x  0 (6.2)
dt dt
• Case I: Underdamped |ζ|<1
x  Aent sin nt
 1      
2

• Case II: Overdamped |ζ|>1

  
  1  t
2   
  1  t
2

x  A1e  A1e
n n

• Case III: Critical damped |ζ|=1

x   A1  A2t  ent
• A, A₁, and A₂ - constants determined by initial state of damping system
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Damped Vibrations
• All three cases (underdamped,
overdamped and critical damped)
reduce vibration amplitude with time
as shown in Fig. top right.
• But there is a possibility of negative
damping (ζ < 0) as shown in Fig.
bottom right.
• Negative damping causes instability.
If this happens due to friction, then
we term it as “Friction Instability”.

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• Friction instability phenomena

• https://youtu.be/MQ2xnHnT-TI

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Forced damped vibrations

• For forced damped system:
d 2x dx
M 2
 C  Kx  F  t 
dt dt
• In the present case if external force, F(t) - friction force is applied:
d 2x dx
M 2
 C  Kx   F  t 
dt dt
• Let’s assume friction force is represented as
dx
F  t   Fs  
dt
• where: Fs – stationary force
• Substituting and rearranging:
d 2x dx  dx  d 2x dx
M  C  Kx    Fs    M   C     Kx   F
 dt 
2 2
dt dt dt dt 14

Forced damped vibrations

• Substituting and rearranging:
d 2x dx  dx  d 2x dx
M  C  Kx    Fs    M   C     Kx   F
dt 2 dt  dt  dt 2
dt
• where φ – phase angle
• If system damping - C is low, and λ is
large then overall negative damping
results, and motion may become
instable (based on experiment).
• To avoid friction instability :
• Increase, the system damping (C).
• Lubricate or otherwise form a surface film to ensure positive friction versus
velocity relationship (reduce gap between static and kinetic coefficient of
friction). 15

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References
• J Halling, Principles of Tribology, The Macmillan Press Ltd, London,
1975.

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