IUVSTA 15th International Vacuum Congress (IVC-15), AVS 48th International Symposium (AVS-48), 11th International Conference on Solid Surfaces (ICSS-11)
    Tribology Tuesday Sessions
       Session TR+MM-TuP

Paper TR+MM-TuP9
Decrease in Friction Force of Type 304 Stainless Steel in a Vacuum by Surface Roughness Modification

Tuesday, October 30, 2001, 5:30 pm, Room 134/135

Session: Poster Session
Presenter: A. Kasahara, National Institute for Materials Science, Japan
Authors: A. Kasahara, National Institute for Materials Science, Japan
M. Goto, National Institute for Materials Science, Japan
M. Tosa, National Institute for Materials Science, Japan
K. Yoshihara, National Institute for Materials Science, Japan
Correspondent: Click to Email
Surface modification of sliding motion materials is inevitable to reduce friction as well as outgassing in a vacuum. We therefore study the development of advanced vacuum motion materials by control of surface roughness on a submicron scale. The friction measurement was carried out on typical vacuum material as type 304 austenitic stainless steel sheet with such surface treatments as chemical polishing or electrochemical buffing after mechanical polishing. A frictional probe is a mechanically polished stainless steel ball of 3.18mm in diameter and was slided under load of 0.49N on surface of sheets with surface roughness from 40nm to 1000nm. Friction measurement in an atmospheric pressure showed little change in friction coefficients of sheets with chemical polishing or electrochemical buffing even by changing surface roughness, while friction measurement at the pressure of 1E-6Pa showed that friction coefficients of sheets increased largely except those of sheets with surface roughness around 100nm prepared by chemical polishing or electrochemical buffing. Stainless steel sheets modified only with surface roughness around 100nm can keep low friction coefficient of 0.1 both in an atmospheric pressure and in a high vacuum, which will help smooth sliding motion required for vacuum system.