Integration of a gas pressure chamber on a reciprocal tribometer for experiments at ambient pressures up to 10 bar

Purpose This study aims to focus on the development of an experimental setup for testing tribological pairings under a gas atmosphere at pressures up to 10 bar.Design/methodology/approach A pressure chamber allowing oscillating movement through an outer shaft was constructed and mounted on an oscillating tribometer. Due to a metal spring bellows system, a methodology for the evaluation of the coefficient of friction values separately from the spring forces was developed.Findings The selected material concept was qualitatively and quantitatively assessed. An evaluation of the static and the dynamic coefficient of friction was performed, which was crucial for the understanding of the adhesion effects of the tested material pairing. The amount of information that is lost due to averaging the measured friction values is higher than one would expect.Originality/value The developed experimental setup is unique and, compared with the existing tribometers for testing under gas ambient pressures, allows testing under contact conditions that are closer to real applications, such as compressors and expanders. An in-depth observation of the adhesion and stick-slip effects of the tested material pairings is possible as well.Peer review The peer review history for this article is available at: