A series of experimental tests on a block-on-ring tester were carried out to obtain a new understanding of severe material transfer in the process of contact strips rubbing against a contact wire with electric current. Three types of contact strip materials including an aluminum-based strip, a copper-based strip, and a pure carbon strip are tested in electric sliding against two contact wire materials including a pure copper contact wire and a copper–silver alloy contact wire. Test results show that there are serious material transfers in these three different friction couples in electric sliding. The aluminum-based strip has the severest material transfer, followed by the copper-based strip. The pure carbon strip has the minimum material transfer. It is found that the material transfer increases with the increase of the sliding speed, the arc discharge intensity, and the contact pressure. In the presence of electric current, contact strip materials are always transferred to the contact wire.
CsapoEZaidiHPaulmierD. Influence of the electrical current on the graphite surface in an electrical sliding contact. Surf Coat Technol1995; 76–77: 421–424.
2.
BouchouchaAZaidiHKadirriEK. Influence of electric fields on the tribological behaviour of electrodynamical copper/steel contacts. Wear1997; 203: 434–441.
3.
BuccaGCollinaA. A procedure for the wear prediction of collector strip and contact wire in pantograph–catenary system. Wear2009; 266: 46–59.
4.
Auditeau G, Bucca G, Collina A, et al. Experimental analysis of effect of plain carbon and impregnated carbon contact strips on contact wire wear. In: 9th World congress on railway research, Lille, France, 2011.
5.
KubotaYNagasakaSMiyauchiT. Sliding wear behavior of copper alloy impregnated C/C composites under an electrical current. Wear2013; 302: 1492–1498.
6.
YangHJChenGXZhangSD. Effect of the vibration on friction and wear behavior between the carbon strip and copper contact wire pair. Proc IMechE, Part J: J Engineering Tribology2012; 226: 722–728.
7.
ChenGXYangHYZhangWH. Effect of the strip inclination angle on the friction and wear behavior of contact strip against contact wire with electric current. Proc IMechE, Part J: J Engineering Tribology2013; 227: 1406–1417.
8.
KuboSKatoK. Effect of arc discharge on wear rate of Cu-impregnated carbon strip in unlubricated sliding against Cu trolley under electric current. Wear1998; 216: 172–178.
9.
KuboSKatoK. Effect of arc discharge on the wear rate and wear mode transition of a copper-impregnated metallized carbon contact strip sliding against a copper disk. Tribol Int1999; 32: 367–378.
10.
AzevedoCRFSinatoraA. Failure analysis of a railway copper contact strip. Eng Fail Anal2004; 11: 829–841.
11.
BuccaGCollinaAManigrassoR. Analysis of electrical interferences related to the current collection quality in pantograph-catenary interaction. Proc IMechE, Part F: J Rail and Rapid Transit2011; 225: 483–500.
12.
BouchouchaAKadirriEKRobertF. Metals transfer and oxidation of copper-steel surfaces in electrical sliding contact. Surf Coat Technol1995; 76–77: 521–527.
13.
SenouciAZaidiHFreneJ. Damage of surfaces in sliding electrical contact copper steel. Appl Surf Sci1999; 144–145: 287–291.
ShangguanBZhangYZXingJD. Comparative study on wear behaviors of metal-impregnated carbon material and C/C composite under electrical sliding. Tribol Trans2010; 53: 933–938.
16.
AlotaibiJGYousifBFYusafTF. Wear behavior and mechanism of different metals sliding against stainless steel counterface. Proc IMechE, Part J: J Engineering Tribology2014; 228: 692–704.
17.
BabuPDBuvanashekaranGBalasubramanianKR. Dry sliding wear of laser hardened low alloy steel at room and elevated temperatures. Proc IMechE, Part J: J Engineering Tribology2013; 227: 1138–1149.
18.
EqubalASoodAKToppoV. Prediction and analysis of sliding wear performance of fused deposition modelling-processed ABS plastic parts. Proc IMechE, Part J: J Engineering Tribology2010; 224: 1261–1271.
19.
BlauPJ. Mechanisms for transitional friction and wear behavior of sliding metals. Wear1981; 72: 55–66.
20.
HeilmannPDonJSunTC. Sliding wear and transfer. Wear1983; 91: 171–190.
21.
GrochePMoellerNHoffmannH. Influence of gliding speed and contact pressure on the wear of forming tools. Wear2011; 271: 2570–2578.
22.
Chen ZK and Sawa K. Effect of arc behavior on material transfer: A review. Electrical Contacts, 1996, pp.238–251.
23.
ChapellePNoelCRisacherA. Optical investigation of the behavior of the electric arc and the metal transfer during vacuum remelting of a Ti alloy. J Mater Process Technol2014; 214: 2268–2275.
24.
BlauPJ. Mechanisms for transitional friction and wear behavior of sliding metals. Wear1981; 72: 55–56.
25.
HeilmannPDonJSunTC. Sliding wear and transfer. Wear1983; 91: 171–190.
26.
RigneyDAChenLHNaylorMGS. Wear processes in sliding systems. Wear1984; 100: 195–219.
27.
CzuprykW. Frictional transfer of iron in oxidative wear conditions during lubricated sliding. Wear2000; 237: 288–294.
28.
HarlinPBexellUOlssonM. Influence of surface topography of arc-deposited TiN and sputter-deposited WC/C coatings on the initial material transfer tendency and friction characteristics under dry sliding contact conditions. Surf Coat Technol2009; 203: 1748–1755.
29.
PodgornikBJerinaJ. Surface topography effect on galling resistance of coated and uncoated tool steel. Surf Coat Technol2012; 206: 2792–2800.
30.
PodgornikBHogmarkSSandbergO. Proper coating selection for improved galling performance of forming tool steel. Wear2006; 261: 15–21.
31.
PodgornikBHogmarkSSandbergO. Influence of surface roughness and coating type on the galling properties of coated forming tool steel. Surf Coat Technol2004; 184: 338–348.
32.
BaresJAArgibayNMauntlerN. High current density copper-on-copper sliding electrical contacts at low sliding velocities. Wear2009; 267: 417–424.
33.
El MansoriMPaulmierDGinsztlerJ. Lubrication mechanisms of a sliding contact by simultaneous action of electric current and magnetic field. Wear1999; 225–229: 1011–1016.
34.
EvansHEJenningsPP. A mass spectrometric study of the neutral and positive ionic species involved in carbon deposition from r.f. discharges in carbon containing gases. Carbon1968; 6: 695–705.
35.
PaulmierDElMansoriMZaidiH. Study of magnetized or electrical sliding contact of a steel XC48/graphite couple. Wear1997; 203–204: 148–154.
