DEVELOPMENT OF RECIPROCATING

WEAR MEASURING DEVICE

SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENT FOR

AWARD OF THE DEGREE OF

BACHELOR OF TECHNOLOGY
(Mechanical Engineering)

SUBMITTED BY

Akshay Kumar Goliyan - 20153046

Anidhya Prakash - 20153034
Avish Verma -20153109
Sanjeev Sihag -20153119

Mechanical Engineering Department

MOTILAL NEHRU NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY ALLAHABAD
PRAYAGRAJ, INDIA
 Mechanical Engineering Department
MOTILAL NEHRU NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY ALLAHABAD
PRAYAGRAJ, INDIA
CANDIDATE`S DECLARATION

We hereby certify that the work which is being presented in the project report entitled

“DEVELOPMENT OF LINEAR RECIPROCATING WEAR MEASURING DEVICE” in

partial fulfillment of requirements for the award of degree of Bachelor of Technology in

Mechanical Engineering at MOTILAL NEHRU NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

ALLAHABAD

is an authentic record of our work carried out during a period from July 2018 to April 2019 under

the supervision of Dr. S B Mishra. The matter embodied in the thesis has not been submitted to

any other University / Institute for the award of any degree.

(Akshay Kumar Goliyan) (Anidhya Prakash) (Avish Verma) (Sanjeev Sihag)

Signature of the Students

This is to certify that the above statement made by the candidates is correct to the best of

my knowledge.

Signature of Supervisor (s)

i
 ABSTRACT

Linear reciprocating wear is a progressive damage involving loss of material during linear

reciprocating motion between the contacting surfaces. This type of wear is very common in the

typical applications such as Reciprocating Compressors, Reciprocating Pumps, Piston linear

assembly etc. The aim of present project work is to Develop a linear reciprocating wear test rig to

evaluate the reciprocating wear of various engineering materials by varying load, reciprocating

speed, stroke length etc.

The action of wear takes place between the hardened plate and the specimen. The power side of the

machine is endowed with a motor which eventually gives power to the reciprocating plate through

a slider crank mechanism. The stroke length of the reciprocation is decided with the adjustment of

the connecting rod length over the particular radius on the rotating disc. The reciprocation is

intended to make smooth to the maximum extent with the use of proper lubrication and wheels. A

Fixture holds the specimen on one side and loading lever on the other. The loading lever is the

principle component to transfer load to the reciprocating on the hardened plate. The loading lever

is connected to the metal string running over the pulley system and the weighing system is attached

at the other end of metal string.

The entire assembly of meticulous components is arranged in a particular fashion so as to give the

most effective results. The testing of the apparatus is carried out using an ASTM standard G133.

Some obstacles that were encountered during the working of the fabricated machine include extra

vibrations, rise in temperature because of quick movement, wear of base plate because of

reciprocation of cover plate over it. Efforts were made to minimize all these issues. The Vibrations
were minimized by using cast iron table and anti-vibration pads. By using proper lubrication

system, the rise in temperature can be controlled and by providing extra material beneath the

reciprocating plate or using material with higher hardness, toughness, or hand coated surface the

wear of base plate can be reduced.

iii
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The authors are highly grateful to the Director, Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology

(MNNIT) Allahabad, Prayagraj for providing this opportunity to carry out the present project

work. We avail this opportunity to extend our hearty indebtedness to our guide Dr. S.B. Mishra

for his invaluable guidance, untiring efforts and meticulous attention at all stages during my course

of work. I would also like to convey my deep regards to our panel professors for their patience,

constant motivation and regular monitoring of the work and inputs for which this work has come to

fruition. We express our gratitude to Prof. A. D. Bhatt, Head of the Department for providing me

the necessary facilities in the department.

We cannot forget to mention thanks to Mr. Satendra Yadav for giving their time in lab for

completing the project in spite of their heavy work load. Last but not least, our sincere thanks to all

who have patiently extended all sorts of help for accomplishing this undertaking.

Akshay Kumar Goliyan

Anidhya Prakash

Avish Verma

Sanjeev Sihag
Contents
Certificate....................................................................................................................i
Abstract.......................................................................................................................ii

Acknowledgement......................................................................................................iv

Chapter 1: Introduction...........................................................................1

Chapter 2: Literature Review

2.1 Overview..............................................................................................................................................3
2.2 Current technology..............................................................................................................................3

2.3 CSM tribometer for linear and rotational testing with environmental enclosure..................................5

2.4 Existing patents...................................................................................................................................7

2.5 Existing working groups.....................................................................................................................9

Chapter 3: Project Work

3.1 Objectives...........................................................................................................................................14

3.2 Proposed Experimental Set up............................................................................................................14

3.3 Designing of various components..........................................................................................16

3.4 Components of the fabricated wear tester..........................................................................................18

3.5 Working of Machine.........................................................................................................................24

3.6 Hardening of reciprocating plate.......................................................................................................25

Chapter 4: Results and Discussion

4.1 Assembly of the wear test rig...........................................................................................................28

4.2 Testing on the wear test rig...............................................................................................................31

4.3 Discussion..........................................................................................................................................38
Chapter 5: Conclusions and Future Scope
5.1 Conclusions........................................................................................................................................40

5.2 Future Scope.......................................................................................................................................41

References...................................................................................................................................................42
 1. INTRODUCTION
The tribology is the science that studies the friction, wear and the lubrication, as well as the

lubricants. It is very important in industrial and engineering components, since the wear and the

friction is always present in mechanical systems as there is mechanical contact between movable

elements every machine. This gives an idea about the economic impact of the friction and wear,

where the former implies in a dissipation or loss of energy by heating and the latter, the failure of

mechanical components.

Several devices are available to study the lubrications. Some of these devices are used for a

superficial evaluation (adsorption of lubricants) or for a measurement of the wear rate or friction.

The measurement of friction and wear can be done using a device called as tribometer. Tribometer

is a very useful device for the investigation of new surface technologies and lubricants. They are

used in the conventional industry (mechanical) and however, they have also been used in

evaluation of biomaterial for the orthopedic prosthesis and biological system. Therefore, it is

possible to generate a curve of Stribeck using a tribometer by means of the variation of the friction

tests parameters, such as the normal load, sliding velocity or viscosity. For the studies of the most

severe lubrication conditions, that is, boundary lubrication, it is necessary to carry out tests with

low Sommerfeld numbers. The tribometer can simulate different motions that are found in

mechanical systems, such as continuous or intermittent motions, unidirectional or reciprocating

movements between surfaces. The most of tribometers can be classified in two types: pin-on-plate

and pin-on- disc. The main difference between these two types of tribometer is the type of the

movement. For the pin-on-plate, a pin is loaded against a plate, which slides in a linear direction

and in a reciprocating form. Thus, the movement is not unidirectional, as it occurs for the pin-on-

disc, where
1
a pin is loaded against a disc, which slides in a rotational and unidirectional movement. Fig.1.1

shows the two configurations of tribometer.

(a) Pin-on-disc (b) Pin-on-plate

Fig. 1.1: Two main configuration of Tribometer arrangement

(Reference: Castro neves, “Design and fabrication of linear reciprocating tribometer using sensors

with strain gauges”, California,2013)

The load cells and strain gages have been used in most of the tribometers to measure frictional

forces. The sliding velocity is one of the important parameters, usually has been set by a proper

system of velocity control.

This work presents the development of design and fabrication of a linear reciprocating tribometer.

The main application of this tribometer is to study the effect of varying load and stroke length on

the reciprocating wear of various engineering materials.

The ASTM standard G1333 is used for the testing of apparatus.

 2. LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 Overview

In this section we present an overview of tribological testing methods and the standards governing

them. We also discuss the current state of tribometer technology, including commercially available

devices, proprietary devices in use in private industry, and related patents.

1) ASTM Standards -During the literature search, a review was performed of the current

American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) standards for tribology testing relating to the

pin-on-disk and linear reciprocating methods. This section summarizes the finding of reviews.

(a) Pin-on-disk wear testing (ASTM G99): ASTM standard G99 defines a pin-on-disk

wear testing apparatus as one which revolves a sample with a spherically-tipped pin about the

center of another sample in the form of a disk. The pin is held at a constant radius on the disk, such

that the wear path is a circle, with the pin traveling through the same track during each revolution.

(b) Linear reciprocating wear testing (ASTM G133): ASTM standard G133 defines a linear

reciprocating wear testing apparatus as one which slides a sample with a spherically-shaped tip

back and forth along a linear path along a flat plate sample. As with the pin-on-disk test, a force is

to be applied to the pin sample to push it into the flat sample. Typical apparatuses have a

mechanism for measuring the resulting lateral forces, from which the coefficient of friction is

calculated.

2.2 Current Technology

There are several commercially available tribometers in the market today. Only one commercially
available option exists which satisfies our customer’s minimum requirements, but it has several
unneeded functions which drive the cost for this product up. The most comparable tribometers

which are commercially available today are manufactured by Nanovea, CSM Instruments and

CETR. Nanovea has both pin-on-disk and linear reciprocating tribometers commercially available.

Although both tribometers are arranged in the same test rig (Fig. 2.1), only one type of test can be

run at once. Therefore, user defined 2D path generation is not available.

(a)

(b)

Fig 2.1: Nanovea’s (a) Pin-on-Disk and (b) Linear Reciprocating Tribometers
2.3 CSM Tribometer for linear and Rotational Testing with Environmental Enclosure

CSM Instruments offers nano and micro tribometers for both linear reciprocating as well as pinon-

disk testing. Fig. 2.2 below shows a CSM tribometer with environmental Plexiglas enclosure.

Although one machine can do both linear and rotational tests, it cannot move in custom 2D paths.

They offer ASTM compliant tribometers, but the test ranges for normal force and friction force are

too low. Options include temperature control up to 1000 °C as well as humidity control. Testing

with inert gasses is possible due to a Plexiglas enclosure. The tribometer has the ability to stop a

test once a predefined coefficient of friction threshold has been reached. CSM Tribometers can be

equipped with a depth measuring sensor for real-time display of wear properties.

Fig 2.2: CSM tribometer with environmental Plexiglas enclosure

The most feasible currently available tribometer is the CETR-UMT tribometer capable of

path generation in any 2D configuration

The most applicable tribometer on the market which most closely matches our customers’

requirements is the Center for Tribology Research’s Universal Micro-Tribometer (CETR-UMT) as

shown in Fig. 2.3. CETR-UMT currently has nano-, micro-, and macro- testing capabilities. The

micro tribometer setup can be seen in Fig. 2.3. The CETR-UMT device can conduct pin on disk,

disk on disk, ball on disk, plate on plate, reciprocating and fretting, uni-directional and multi-

directional wear tests. Among the unique functions of this machine is the ability to program any

2D path for wear analysis in any variety of path configurations. This doesn’t include the modules

necessary to run higher speed linear tests required by our customer. Even with these upgrades,

speeds won’t be sufficient for testing required by the users.

Fig. 2.3: The most applicable tribometer is the Center for Tribology Research’s Universal

Micro-Tribometer (CETR-UMT)
2.4 Existing Patents

Existing design patents that correlate with the scope of this project were examined as well. Several

patents of existing technology were found using patentstorm.us and are presented below. All

contain aspects of design that may be valuable for the scope of this project.

Patent 1534014, pictured below in Fig. 2.4, describes a basic pin on disk wear device with a spring

and mechanical measurement device used to measure the lateral frictional force. This is an old,

simplistic design, but it provides a good starting point to the basic concepts and functions involved

when developing a tribometer.

Fig. 2.4 : Patent 1534014, basic Pin on Disk wear device

(Reference: Prof Gordon Krauss, Prof S. Awtar: “Multi-Function tribometer design”,

University of Michigan, 20 April 2010, pg15 F7)

Patent 4051713 does not involve a pin apparatus, but instead measures the friction between two

pads. It does, however, provide a way of specifying the normal force between the surfaces and

provides good 16 motor control using an encoder device. While it is not exactly known what this

project entails, it does contain components that may be transferrable and is shown Fig. 2.5 .

Fig 2.5 : Schematic for Patent 4051713 –Wear device utilizing motor and force control

(Reference: Prof Gordon Krauss, Prof S. Awtar: “Multi-Function tribometer design”,

University of Michigan, 20 April 2010, pg 16 F8)

Patent 6401058 also does not use a pin device like this project requires but uses a rotating drum on

a flat surface. The key features of this design are the data acquisition and control techniques as

illustrated in Fig. 2.6. This design also examines surface characteristics of the test sample which

will be desirable for this project.

 Fig. 2.6: Schematic for Patent 6401058 – Wear device utilizing data acquisition,
input control, and surface examination

(Reference: Prof Gordon Krauss, Prof S. Awtar: “Multi-Function tribometer design”,

University of Michigan, 20 April 2010, pg 16 F9)
2.5 Existing working Groups

Ducom India and Nanovia are two existing companies which are majorly producing reciprocating

wear testing set up.

2.5.1 Ducom

The Ducom Linear Reciprocating Tribometer (Fig. 2.7) is designed to allow users to characterize

tribological performances of materials and lubricants in a wide range of operating conditions

ranging from fretting wear conditions to large amplitude linear sliding conditions. If can

effectively be used to study bulk materials, coatings, lubricants and additives. The Linear

Reciprocating Tribometer can accommodate a variety of sample geometries to create point, line

and area contacts. Customized sample holders can also be provided for tests requiring conformal

contacts. The specifications of the existing model manufactured by Ducom, Bengaluru, India is

shown in table 2.1.

This system is computer controlled and includes a data acquisition software that can be used to

acquire, view and report results. It has some special features as follows:

• Fully automatic and computer controlled

• Continuously variable stroke length

• Continuously variable frequency

• Options for humidity control

• Options for temperature control

Numerous options are offered to enhance capability of basic tribometer. Some of the provisions

are:

• Lubrication cup for lubricated wear and friction studies.

• Environmental chamber for controlled environment tests. (Not air

-tight, suitable for inert, nontoxic environments)

• Humidity Controller for controlled humidity tests (10 – 95% RH)

• Low temperature stage (-25 ̊ C)

• High temperature stage (up to 400 ̊ C)

• Electrical Contact Resistance (ECR)measurement

• CCD based image acquisition system for sample imaging and reporting.

• 3D Optical Profilometer for posttest analysis.

Specifications:

Table 2.1: Specifications of DUCOM existing Model

Parameter Unit Min Max Remarks

Stroke mm 0.5 2

Frequency Hz 10 100

Load N 1 10

Temperature Deg C Ambient Ambient Temperature

control stage

option available

Humidity RH% 20 80 Requires humidity

controller

Fig 2.7 : DUCOM Setup of Reciprocating High Frequency machine

(Reference: http://ducom.com/test-instruments/tribometers/linear-reciprocatingtribometer-lrt/)
2.5.2 Nanovia

The Linear Module reproduces the reciprocating motion typical in many real-world mechanisms.

The instrument produces a friction coefficient for both the forward and backward the stroke. This

reciprocating technique is very useful for studying the static coefficient of friction over time, as

opposed to the kinetic coefficient measured with the Pin-on-Disk wear testing geometry. The

software allows change of friction at any specific point along one lap to be plotted versus time.

Linear High Temperature (Up to 300°C) | Available for wear & friction testing of in-situ

conditions, in a range of deposition technologies. This range is also ideal to study polymers just

under their melting point.

Temperatures near 37°C are suitable for bio material studies of wear and friction properties under

bodily fluid, such as those found in artificial joint applications.

Applications:

Nanovia Tribometers (Fig. 2.8) provide superior wear and friction testing, at Micro through Macro

range, for Tribology study in industries including: Automotive, Tooling, Coatings, Metallurgy,

Biomedical, Aerospace, Petroleum, Cosmetics and many others. Table 2.2 presents the

specification of the tribometer manufactured by Nanovia.

 Fig 2.8: NANOVIA Setup of Reciprocating Device
(Reference: https://nanovea.com/linear-wear-test/)

Specifications:

Table 2.2: Specifications of Nanovia linear reciprocating wear measuring device

Parameter Unit Value

Linear Speed mm/sec 140

Stroke Length Mm 0-35

Frequency At Full Stroke Hz 2

Frequency Maximum Hz 40

Temperature Maximum ̊ C 300

Lubrication Cup Inner Size mm^3 54*90*30

 3. PROJECT WORK

3.1 Objective

The primary objective of the project work is to develop linear reciprocating wear tester

to evaluate the wear of various engineering materials by varying the load, stroke length

and reciprocating speed.

3.2 Proposed Experimental Setup

Fig. 3.1 shows the proposed linear reciprocating wear test rig which consist of various components

including several assemblies.

Fig 3.1: Proposed Experimental Set up of Linear Reciprocating Wear Tester

The subassemblies of the proposed test rig include:

• spindle assembly

• loading lever assembly

• sliding plate assembly

All assemblies are mounted on a base plate over structure. The structure is made robust to absorb

the entire force developed during testing.

The mechanism which has been used in this set up is Slider Crank Mechanism. In this

mechanism various mechanical parts are arranged to convert the straight line motion into

rotary motion, as in reciprocating engine motion or to convert rotary motion into

reciprocating motion as in reciprocating piston pump.

In this set up it is proposed to use slider crank mechanism to reciprocate the pin (specimen)

on the hardened steel plate. When the metal plate will have motion because of the slider crank

mechanism, there will be reciprocating contact causing wear of the surface of the specimen.

Fixture is connected with the loading lever and the other end of loading lever is connected

with the rope and pulley arrangement. Loading lever is hinged at middle point. At the end of the

rope and pulley, weight is applied and tension generates which is directly transferred to the loading

lever through the rope. Loading lever is hinged so the tension in directly transferred to the Fixture.

Rope and pulley arrangement is supported by using clamps. There is AC motor has been

used to support the slider crank mechanism. Motor will rotate the rotating disc which is connected

to the connecting rod to complete the slider crank mechanism.

3.3 Designing of various components
Fig. 3.2 shows the schematic diagram of the loading lever for evaluating the stress

analysis for loading lever and the Table 3.1 depicts the values of the various stresses

corresponding to the different materials. These stresses have been calculated with the

help of ANSYS software. From the various types of materials, mild steel has shown

lower maximum principal stress and its cost is also low, and hence selected as a material

for loading lever.

Fig. 3.2: Schematic diagram of loading lever

Table 3.1: The various stresses and total deformation of different materials

Material selected: Mild steel

Tensile Yield strength = 250 MPa
Shear yield strength= 125 MPa
Factor of safety= (shear yield strength)/(max shear stress)

FOS =
Fig. 3.3 shows the schematic diagram for the connecting rod in order to determine the stress
analysis of connecting rod.

Fig. 3.3: The schematic diagram of the connecting rod

Material: Mild steel

Tensile Yield strength: Syt= 250 MPa
Ultimate Tensile Strength: Sut=460 MPa
Max force acting on connecting rod= 150 N

Se’ =0.5(Sut ) = 230 MPa

Ka = a(Sut)^b = 4.51*(450)^(-0.265) =0.860
Kb= 1(axial loading); Kc = 0.85 (loading factor); kd =1 (temp factor)
Ke = 0.702 (reliability factor for 99.99% reliability)
Kf = 1
Se = Ka*Kb*Kc*Kd*Ke*Kf*Se’
=0.86*1*0.85*1*0.702*1*230
Se =118.027MPa
σ max =9.67 MPa; σ min = -9.67 MPa
σa = (σ max - σ min)/2;
σa = 9.67 MPa σm = (σ max + σ min)/2; σm = 0

1 1
= σa = 9.67 0
Factor of safety σ𝑚 +
+
(Nf)
𝑆𝑒 𝑆𝑦𝑡 118.027 250

Nf=12.205

Motor power analysis

Total Normal Reaction = 50+20 N

Total resisting force = µN = (µk*N + µr*N)
=(1.5*70 + 0.4*70)
= 135 N
≈ 150 N θ = tan^-1(7/24) = 16.26
Fmin = 150 cos θ = 144.001 N
Fmax = 150 N
It is the max force at connecting rod which act tangently and provide

torque. τ = F *r = 10.5 Nm Power(P) = τ * ω = 329.867 Watt

Hence we require a motor more than 330 watt and required torque is also more than 10.5 Nm.
So We will purchase a motor of 500 watt and torque generated is 11 Nm (constant) and stall torque
is 55 Nm so that it can work efficiently.

3.4 Components of the fabricated reciprocating wear tester

1. AC induction Motor:

A 3 phase AC induction motor as shown in Fig. 3.4 which is the power end of our machine

which works on the supply of 415 Volts and 50 Hz. The specification of the motor is

shown in the Table 3.2.

 Fig. 3.4: The AC induction motor

Table 3.2: Specifications of the motor

S.No. Specification Value

1. Volt 415, star connection

2. Frequency 50 Hz
3. Current 1.84 A
4. Power 0.75 kW
5. Speed 1395 rpm

2. Belt- Pulley arrangement:

A belt pulley arrangement (Fig. 3.5) is used to reduce the speed of the output of the motor

by using it between the output of motor and the input of rotating disc. The main purpose of

which is to reduce the speed for the reciprocating component.

Fig. 3.5: The belt pulley arrangement

3. Rotating Disc:

Rotating disc as shown in Fig. 3.6 is connected directly with the belt pulley arrangement as

an output accessory. The purpose of rotating disc is to provide motion to connecting rod

which is directly connected to it. Also we can have different stroke length through this.

Dimensions:

Diameter: 19 cm

Thickness: 3 mm

Holes diameter: 8 mm

Fig. 3.6: The rotating disc

4. Connecting Rod

The one end of connecting rod (Fig. 3.7) is connected with the rotating disc and the other

side is connected with reciprocating plate. It converts the rotary motion to reciprocating one.

Dimensions: Length: 28 cm, Thickness: 4 mm, Width: 2 cm

Fig 3.6: Connecting Rod

5. Cover Plate supports the reciprocating plate by giving a proper fit to it (Fig 3.8). The one

end of the connecting rod is connected to this plate. The major function of the cover plate is

that it will give a nearly frictionless reciprocation with the help of wheels attached to it.

Dimensions: Length: 20.8 cm, Width: 8.2 cm, Height with wheels from ground: 6cm,

Height without wheels: 2 cm

Fig. 3.8: Cover plate

6. Reciprocating Plate:

This plate (Fig. 3.9) is fixed on the cover plate and is reciprocating with the slider crank

mechanism. The safe dimension based on stroke length is 20 cm x 8 cm x 6 mm.

Fig. 3.9: Reciprocating plate

7. Specimen: This is the object on which the wear has to be measured (Fig. 3.10). The

specimen is being fit in Fixture which eventually wears when comes in contact with

reciprocating plate beneath.

Dimension: 60 mm x 20 mm x 20 mm
 Fig. 3.10: Specimen

8. Fixture: This is used to hold the specimen (Fig 3.11). There are two rectangular slots in the

Fixture. First slot is to hold the specimen and second is to hold the Loading lever. Each slot

is being tightened with a screw arrangement over.

Dimension: 70 mm x 50 mm x 50 mm

Fig. 3.11: Fixture

9. Loading lever: This is a long rod with a hole in the center to support the hinge (Fig. 3.12).

It’s one end is connected with the Fixture and the other end is connected to the rope and

pulley arrangement. The varying load arrangement if being feed to the specimen with the

help of loading lever.

Dimension: 40 cm x 16 mm x 16 mm

Hole Diameter: 6 mm
 Fig. 3.12: Loading Lever

10. Rope and Pulley arrangement: Fig. 3.13 having two pulleys and a rope to transfer the

tension in the loading lever by the action of weight applied at end of the rope.

Fig. 3.13: Pulley Clamp

11. Base Table: The base table (Fig. 3.14) is used to support the whole set up. The Frame of

the table with the help of angles is made first and then the metal sheet which supports all

the components are firmly fixed on it. Dimension: 120 cm x 70 cm x 50 cm

Fig. 3.14: Base Table Frame

3.5 Working of Machine

We are using AC induction motor for running our machine set up. The speed of the output shaft is

decreased considerably so that slider crank mechanism can reciprocate at low speed. With the help

of this motor rotary motion is provided to rotating disc and this disc is further connected with the

connecting rod. This combination serves the purpose of slider crank mechanism. The motor is

powered external electricity supply.

With the help of connecting rod and rotating disc, the rotary motion is converted into the

reciprocating motion. Connecting rod is further connected with cover plate with nut and bolt

arrangement. This cover plate is providing support and act as a base for our reciprocating plate.

With the starting of the motor, the power end assembly provides rotatory motion at slow speed to

the rotating disc which eventually provides reciprocating motion to the plate. The major function

of cover plate is to support the reciprocating plate and to provide nearly frictionless reciprocating

motion with the help of wheels attached to it. To restrict motion of cover plate in only one

direction, grooves are made on the table traversing the reciprocating path.

The actual wear takes place when the reciprocating plate reciprocates and the specimen is fixed

above it. For applying external load over the specimen, specimen is fitted in the fixture and the

fixture is further connected with loading lever. The purpose of the fixture is to transfer the load

from loading lever to the specimen. One end of the loading lever is connected with the Fixture and

another end is connected with rope and pulley arrangement.

A dead weight is hanging at the end of the pulleys. If we consider string to be mass less and pulley

to be frictionless then we can say that same load will transfer throughout the length of the string

and the same is shown in the Fig. 3.1. Hence a load which is equal to the dead weight in upward

direction
at one end of the loading lever. Since loading lever is hinged at the middle and length on both sides

are equal so the tension of the string will directly transfer to the Fixture and finally to the

specimen.

As the motor starts, the reciprocating motion of the cover plate takes place, hence there is a wear

between reciprocating plate and specimen because of the sliding motion between them. This wear

is depending on the load we apply at the end of the rope, the speed of the motor, the specimen used

in fixture, we can also vary the stroke length and applied load on the rope. The amount of load is

directly proportional to the amount of wear on the specimen.

To measure the wear on the surface we measure the initial weight of the specimen and after the

testing where there is sliding motion between the reciprocating plate and the specimen because of

this motion wear takes place on the surface of the specimen. After sometime when the power

supply is stopped, the final weight of the specimen is measured to get the amount of the wear due

to the motion and the difference between the initial and the final weight of the specimen will tell

the amount of wear on the specimen in that particular time.

3.6 Hardening of Reciprocating Plate

The reciprocating plate which works as the tool for the specimen is a mild steel plate. The

requirement of this plate is that the hardness has to be more than the specimen whose wear is to be

measured. Hence an attempt is made to improve the hardness of the reciprocating plate with the

help of heat treatment particularly- quenching.

The reciprocating plate is heated to 750 in an electric furnace for duration of 5 hours and quenched

in water medium.
The hardness data before quenching is reported in Table 3.3 and after quenching is reported in Table

3.4.

𝟐∗𝐏
Using the given formula: 𝑩𝑯𝑵 =
𝛑 ∗ 𝐃(𝐃 − √𝑫𝟐
− 𝒅𝟐)

Where, P determines the load applied

D determines the Diameter of ball

d determines the indentation diameter

The average hardness before quenching is found to be 213.72 BHN and after quenching it is found

to be 434.2 BHN.

The percentage increase in hardness is found to be approximately 103%.

Table 3.1: Brinell Hardness test before quenching process

S.No. Load Observation Indentation Average ‘d’

Applied in Dia(mm)
in Micrometer
BHT(Kg)
1. 187.5 10 1.0

2. 187.5 10 1.0 1.0333

3. 187.5 11 1.1
Table 3.4: Hardness after quenching by using Brinell Hardness Test

S.No. Load Applied in Observation in Indentation Average

BHT(Kg) Micrometer Dia(mm) ‘d’
1. 187.5 7 0.7

2. 187.5 7 0.7 0.733

3. 187.5 8 0.8
 4. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

4.1 Assembly

The fabrication of various parts has been done in mechanical workshop according to the designs

and calculations of as reported in chapter 3. Now the major challenge comes in the assembly of

these parts and the smooth functioning of this machine.

The major issues which are being encountered during assembly and the solutions undertaken are as

follows:

1. To reduce the speed of the motor before feeding the rotating disc

For this the belt pulley system is employed in proper ratio so that the desired reduction is

achieved.

2. The guiding pathways for the reciprocating cover plate

The cover plate which is in direct contact of connecting rod needs some restricted path

through which it can traverse.

3. Proper lubrication at the critical points

The slider crank mechanism has to be properly lubricated and also the wheels of cover

plate so as to avoid any wear and tear in the functioning of the machine.

4. There has to be a contact between the specimen and the reciprocating plate for which

the weight on the weighing pan has to stable and sufficient

5. Proper safety measures have to be undertaken because the machine is working under

direct AC supply also the motor is quite strong which may cause accidents if not properly

used.
The final assembled reciprocating wear tester is shown in Fig. 4.1. The actual experimental setup

differs from the proposed experiment setup in few aspects. The following changes have been

incorporated in the proposed setup for obtaining the desired motion of the pin (specimen) on the

hardened table.

Fig. 4.1: The actual experimental setup of wear tester

1. The introduction of the belt pulley system

The main purpose of the application of belt pulley system is to reduce the direct the speed of the

reciprocating pin from motor connected through rotating disc. The problem with the high speed is

that it makes the entire setup unstable. Further, some unpredictable accidents can happen, and

such a high speed does not serve the purpose of wear tester. A small pulley is being attached to

the motor
 side and a belt is connected to the larger diameter pulley which results in reduction of speed by the

following formula.

𝐷1 𝑁2
=
𝐷2 𝑁1

Where D1 is the Diameter of small pulley and N1 is its speed (in rpm)

D2 is the Diameter of larger pulley and N2 is its speed (in rpm)

2. The motor is arranged in horizontal position

In the proposed setup the motor is placed vertical to the axis of rotation but later on when the

practicalities were focused it was quite feasible to change the position of the motor to horizontal. It

increases the stability of the setup and also the requirement of support system to the motor is

reduced to simple nut-bolt arrangement.

3. The guiding rails are provided around the reciprocating path way

While reciprocation of cover plate is observed it was evident that the straight path of reciprocation

in a perfect straight line is being going astray hence the guiding rails are welded at the end of the

cover plate in order to give proper direction to it.

4.2 Testing on the wear test rig

4.2.1 Experimental procedure of wear test

Table 4.2 gives the various system parameter being fixed for carrying out the testing on the

machine. The samples are tested on the wear test rig for 25 minutes at the interval of 5 minutes

each. The weight loss has been calculated using a weighing machine of 0.01 mg least count. The

wear rate, wear resistance and specific wear rate is calculated using the weight loss.

Table 4.3 records the different samples taken for carrying out the test.

Table 4.2: The system parameters during the testing on wear test rig

S.No. System Parameter Value

1. Normal Load 50 N

2. Sliding Speed 80 cm/s

3. Sliding Distance(for specimen) 1200m

Table 4.3: The various samples for the experiment

S.No. Sample Shape Sample Dimension Number of

Material such samples

1. Cylindrical Aluminium Length: 7cm 02

Dia: 2 cm

2. Cuboid Aluminium 7cm x 2cm x 2cm 01

3. Cuboid Brass 7cm x 2cm x 2cm 01

4.2.2 Wear testing of specimens

In order to test the repeatability of the machine we have taken samples of comparable geometry

and same material. Finding the percentage error in the calculations of wear so that we can

determine the accuracy of the machine as well.

Table 4.4 shows the weight loss of the samples at different time interval and the graph between the

weight loss against time is shown in Fig. 4.2. From the graph it is seen that the weight loss was

higher during the initial cycles, thereafter it becomes approximately constant.

Table 4.4: The weight loss of samples at the different time intervals
Samples CAL1 CAL2 SAL1 SBR2

Weight loss

0-5 min 0.02014 0.03229 0.0236 0.018

5-10 min 0.02203 0.02506 0.021 0.013

10-15 min 0.0196 0.01588 0.0145 0.014

15-20 min 0.0183 0.01137 0.0161 0.010

20-25 min 0.0188 0.01081 0.0152 0.011

 CAL1 CAL2 SAL1 SBR2
0.035
0.03
WEIGHT LOSS 0.025
0.02
0.015
0.01
0.005
0

5 10 15 20 25
TIME(MIN)

Fig 4.2: Graph between the weight loss of samples and time elapsed

Fig. 4.3 and Fig. 4.4 shows the cumulative weight loss and bar chart depicting the total
weight loss of different specimens. The average weight loss is found to be 0.09479 and
the maximum error was found to be 4.63% and the data has been tabulated in Table 4.6.

CAL 1 CAL 2 SAL 1 SBR 1

0.12
WEIGHT LOSS

0.1
0.08
0.06
0.04
0.02
0

5 10 15 20 25
TIME(MIN)

Fig 4.3: Graph between the cumulative sum of weight loss and time elapsed
 0.12
0.09887 0.09541
0.1 0.0904
0.08 0.066
0.06
0.04
0.02
0

CAL1 CAL2 SAL1 SBR2

SPECIMENS

Fig 4.4: Bar chart depicting the total weight loss of various specimens

4.2.3 Determination of wear rate, wear resistance and specific wear rate

The wear rate, wear resistance & specific wear rate is calculated by using the formula. The results

of which have been summarized in Table 4.5.

The wear rate is calculated by using the formula

△
Wear rate= 𝑤 ……………..(1)

𝐿𝜌

The specific wear rates of the materials were obtained by

Specific wear
△
rate= 𝑤 ………………(2)

𝐿𝜌𝐹

The wear resistance is calculated as:

𝑤𝑒𝑎𝑟 𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑒
1
Wear Resistance =
…………..(3)
Where,

W denotes specific wear rates in mm3/N- m

△w =weight loss (gm)

L=sliding distance (m)

𝜌 = density of the worn material in g/mm3

F =applied load in N.

Table 4.5: The wear rate, Wear resistance & Specific wear rate for the given samples

S. No. Specimen Wear rate Wear Resistance Specific wear rate

1. CAL1 0.03051543 32.7703 0.00061031

2. CAL2 0.02935494 34.06582 0.0005871

3. SAL1 0.02790123 35.84071 0.00055802

4. SBR2 0.02037037 49.09091 0.00040741

Fig. 4.5 shows the wear rate for different specimens in the range of 0.02037 mm 3/m to

0.03051mm3/m. Fig. 4.6 shows the wear resistance for different specimens, which is obtained in

the range of 32.7701 m/mm 3 to 49.0909 m/mm3. Fig. 4.7 shows the specific wear rate for different

specimens, which is obtained in the range of 0.0004074 mm3/Nm to 0.0006103 mm3/Nm.

 0.035 0.030515432
0.03 0.0293 54938
0.0279 01235

Wear Rate
0.025 0.02037037
0.02
0.015
0.01
0.005
0

CAL1CAL2SAL1SBR2
Specimen

Fig 4.5: Graph between wear rate and specimen taken

60
Wear Resistance

49.09090909
50

40 35.84070796
32.77030444 34.06581853
30

20

10

0
CAL1 CAL2 SAL1 SBR2
Specimen

Fig 4.6: Graph of Wear Resistance of the various Specimens

 Specific wear rate
0.0007 0.000610309
0.0006
0.0005 0.000587099 0.000558025
0.0004
0.0003 0.000407407
0.0002
0.0001
0

CAL1 CAL2 SAL1 SBR2

Specimen

Fig 4.7: Graph of Specific wear rate for particular sample

Table 4.6 determines the average weight loss and relative percentage error in the testing process.
The percentage error is obtained within the range of 0.33% to 4.63%.

Table 4.6: Calculation of percentage wear in the given samples

S. No. Specimens Weight Mean Variation Relative

loss of mean percentage

error

1 CAL 1 0.09887 0.00407 4.29%

2 CAL 2 0.09511 0.09479 0.00032 0.33%

3 SAL 1 0.0904 0.00439 4.63%

4.3 Discussion

From the Fig. 4.2 it can be seen that the weight loss was higher during the initial cycles, thereafter

it becomes approximately constant. Also the graphs between the wear rate (0.027901 mm3/m to

0.03051 mm3/m), wear resistance (32.77 m/mm3 to 35.84 m/mm3) and specific wear rate

(0.0005580 mm3/Nm to 0.0006103 mm3/Nm) is calculated against the similar specimens taken

and the range of each one of these are in a very short domain, which shows that the results are

quite precise.

Also the repeatability of the machine is checked by calculating the average weight loss (0.09479)

and maximum error to be 4.63%.

The arrangement of the above mentioned components are assembled with the proper sequence and

the smooth working of the setup. The major obstacles were:

1. The vibrations of the machine when the setup is ON being exceptionally high, various

methods and techniques has been used to eradicate the vibrations to minimum.

Various steps have been taken in this regard like using the Anti vibration pads and choosing the

proper material for especially base plate like GREY CAST IRON and providing the proper

lubrication.

2. The temperature of entire setup and specifically the reciprocating plate, specimen,

hardened plate and rotating disc are found to be overly heated.

This problem may be controlled by properly lubricating the surfaces exhibiting the friction the

most. The turning joints can be made smooth and the wheels of the cover plate should be of

minimum inertia.
3. Wear of the base plate due to quick reciprocation.

The base plate beneath the reciprocating cover plate is most prone to wear because of quick

motion. Some extra material must be provided therein which is hard and having groves so that the

reciprocating path can be traversed, which eventually will save the plate to go astray.

4. Jerks and shocks because of fluctuation of the voltage supply.

The power side of the machine is most prone to vibrations and occasional jerks and shocks which

can be often also when the input voltage supply is fluctuating or/and not up to the mark as required

for smooth working of machine.

This problem can be solved to a greater extent when we are ensuring proper voltage input

electricity supply to the machine.

5. Proper safety has to be ensured while working on the machine.

The machine has a direct A.C. power supply of 1HP motor, hence proper safety measures has to be

taken while working on this machine also the movements of the machine is quite rapid and

powerful hence extra care has to be taken. All the safety measures are to be strictly followed.
 5. CONCLUSIONS AND FUTURE SCOPE

5.1 Conclusions

In this work, a reciprocating wear tester is designed and fabricated. Following conclusions are

drawn from the present project work.

A reciprocating wear test rig is successfully designed and fabricated. The repeatability of the

machine has been tested by taking specimens of comparable geometry and same material. The

maximum percentage error in the calculation of wear is found to be 4.63%, which proves the

accuracy of the machine.

From the graph 4.2, it is evident that the weight loss/wear becomes constant after a certain number

of cycles.

The machine is quite precise as is evident from the graph 4.5, 4.6 & 4.7 which shows the wear

rate, wear resistance and specific wear rate respectively. The value from each of these graphs

shows a closeness of range for comparable specimens.

The fabricated machine can be used to test the reciprocating wear of brass, aluminium, mild steed

and other materials having surface hardness upto 350BHN.

The tests can be conducted on this machine by varying the load from 10 N to 50N .

Three stroke lengths can be used (6 cm, 10 cm and 14 cm) on this machine.
5.2 Future Scope

The machine can be used to carry out the testing with different specimen materials along with

different varying load conditions, rpm and stroke length. Considering the liability of the time

period and the economical position of the group we have presented this model of reciprocating

wear measuring device. However, there is a huge scope of improvement for this machine both

technologically and methodologically with more facility of its domain to work.

We can have the same setup working for lubricating conditions also. The setup can also be

adjusted to work with varying temperatures as well. The accuracy of the apparatus can be more

fine-tuned with the help of microcontroller and calibration.

 REFERENCES

1. C. N. Panagopoulos, V. D. Papachristos and L. W. Christoffersen: ‘Lubricated sliding wear

behaviour of Ni-P-W multilayered alloy coatings produced by pulse plating’, Thin Solid Films,

2000, 366, 155–163.

2. C. N. Panagopoulos, K. I. Giannakopoulos and V. Saltas: ‘Wear behavior of nickel

superalloy, CMSX-186’, Mat. Lett., 2003, 57, 4611–4616.

3. H. C. Meng, and K. C., Ludema, 1995, “Wear Models and Predictive Equations: Their Form

and Content,” Wear, 181–183, pp. 443–457.

4. S. Guicciardi, C. Melandri, Lucchini, F. Lucchini, de Portu, G.: On data dispersion in pin-

on-disk wear tests. Wear 252, 1001–1006 (2002)

5. Gordon Krauss, S. Awtar: “Multi-Function tribometer design”, University of Michigan, 20

April 2010, pg 15-17

6. Miyoshi K.: Fundamental considerations in adhesion, fricion and wear of ceramic-metals

contacts. Wear, 1990, 141, s. 35-44.

7. B. Ivković, B. Tadić,, Machinability test on tribometer "Pin on Disc", International Conference

on Tribology, BALKANTRIB 96, Thessaloniki, Greece, 1996.

8. B Tadić, B. Ivković., P.Todorović,, Theoretical Basis of Pin and Block Carrier design at

Tribometer Tpd – 2000., Tribology in industry, (53-56 ), volume 24, N03&4, Kragujevac 2002.

9. G. Pahl, W. Beitz, Engineering Design, Springer – Verlag, Berlin Heidelberg, 1977.

10. N. Marjanovic, Design Methods, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Kragujevac, 1999.

11. Tribometer “Pin on Disk” with linear reciprocating moving, User manual, Yugoslav

Tribology Society, Kragujevac, 2004.