Predicting the Useful Life of Sliding Polymer Components : using Finite Element Analysis

The research detailed in this book presents a systematic wear modelling methodology that can be applied to any wear scenario regardless of wearing mode, thereby providing a step-by-step guiding tool to designers for wear experiments and modelling. The major stages of the approach are: tribo-system examination, experimentation, experimental wear coefficient determination and model formation. The book presents a Finite Element Analysis (FEA) based wear modelling algorithm devised in the course of the reported research activity. FEA is used as a tool to calculate nodal pressures at the contact region for small sliding steps. The methodology solicited in this research was implemented to model the wear phenomenon of a polymer-to-polymer dry sliding contact. Model verification was accomplished by comparing the simulated results with the actual test results, which were found in conclusive agreement.