Polymer Engineering Faculty Research

Measurements of Anisotropic (Off-Axis) Friction-Induced Motion

Younjin Min, The University of Akron

Abstract

A new 3D sensor-actuator attachment for a Surface Forces Apparatus (SFA) allows measurements of friction forces between surfaces in all 3 orthogonal directions. The anisotropic friction forces when shearing two mica surfaces separated by a nanometer-thin film of hexadecane can induce complex transient and steady-state motions involving displacements perpendicular to the applied force and nonzero velocity at all stages of back-and-forth sliding.