Characterization of the Wear Processes due to the Material Erosion Mechanisms

A device to measure the instantaneous erosion rate has been perfected. It is available for all types of erosion such as those involving corrosion, abrasion, erosion by shock and cavitation. The calibration being made, it gives a quantitative value of the erosion and moreover, on certain cases, it is possible to deduce the erosion type. A wide range of applications is possible for using this device. This paper presents some experiments carried out in the wear domain. The first results obtained in a specific conditions for the fretting erosion are interesting. It can be seen that the evolution of the instantaneous erosion behavior varies with some parameters such as the applied force, frequency, friction coefficient and time. By way of a better knowledge of the oxide formation, this new tool gives new insights to help analyze the complicated instantaneous processes of wear, by means of current density measurement.