Effect of Wear-Induced Surface Deformation on Stick-Slip Friction of Galvanized Automotive Steels.

This study examined the influence of worn surfaces on the stick-slip friction of galvanized automotive steel and revealed the intrinsic role of surface topography parameters in the stick-slip friction with wear. The results show that the surface deformation induced by wear significantly affects the stick-slip friction. The stick-slip friction can be suppressed by increasing the vertical area of the surface deformation because of reductions in the difference between the static and kinetic friction coefficients. The friction behavior changes from stick-slip friction to smooth sliding when the skewness exceeds a critical value, thus suggesting that this parameter can be used as an effective surface topography parameter to describe the stick-slip friction of galvanized automotive steel with worn surfaces. The findings can help improve the understanding of the mechanism of the stick-slip friction of materials with worn surfaces and provide an approach to suppress the noise and vibration caused by the stick-slip friction of galvanized automotive steel.