Ciara Stynes A00261787 B.Eng. Mech. & Polymer Year 1 Grp.

2
Friction 1(a) + 1(b)

Athlone Institute of Technology

Inustitiúid Teicneolaíochta Bhaile Átha Luain

Department of Mechanical Engineering

Bachelor of Engineering in Polymer & Mechanical Engineering

Year 1 Group 2 2018/2019
Mechanics
Continuous Assessment

Student Name Ciara Stynes

Student Number A00261787

Date Title
28/11/18 Friction 1(a) + 1(b)
Ciara Stynes A00261787 B.Eng. Mech. & Polymer Year 1 Grp.2
Friction 1(a) + 1(b)

Contents
Title........................................................................................................................................................1
Objectives..............................................................................................................................................1
Apparatus..............................................................................................................................................1
Introduction...........................................................................................................................................1
Experimental Procedure........................................................................................................................1
Results...................................................................................................................................................1
Conclusions............................................................................................................................................1
Ciara Stynes A00261787 B.Eng. Mech. & Polymer Year 1 Grp.2
Friction 1(a) + 1(b)

Friction 1(a) + 1(b)

Objectives
1 (a) To find the coefficient of friction of different materials.

Apparatus
 Adjustable inclined plane (@0)
 String
 Sliders (Wood and Perspex)
 Various slotted masses
 Slotted masses hanger
 Pulley

Introduction
“Friction is the resisting force which always acts when one surface slides or tends to slide over
another. Frictional force always acts to oppose motion.” (O'Callaghan, 2017)

(O'Callagh
an, 2017)

The coefficient of friction is the measure of how much friction exists between two surfaces. A low
friction constant indicated that it requires less force to move the object and a high friction constant
requires more force.

Friction force (F) ∝ to Normal reaction (Rn)

F
μ(Coefficient of friction)=
Rn
“Limiting friction is the maximum frictional force that can arise before an object begins to slide”
(O'Callaghan, 2017).

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Ciara Stynes A00261787 B.Eng. Mech. & Polymer Year 1 Grp.2
Friction 1(a) + 1(b)

Experimental Procedure

1(a)

 The end of the apparatus was positioned on the edge of the table.
 A slider was placed on to the apparatus at a specific point.
 A string was placed on the end of the slider and through the pulley.
 A newton weight was placed onto the slider.
 A slotted mass hanger was placed onto the end of the sting.
 Masses were then added to the hanger until the slider began to move. At this point it
reached its limiting friction.
 The newton weight on the slider and the applied force were then noted.
 This was then repeated using different newton weights.
 At the limiting friction the friction force = the applied force.
 On a level plane the normal reactive force = the weight.
 The friction force was then plotted against the normal reactive force.

 As the slope of the graph is the coefficient of friction.

 The experiment was then repeated using a different material

Results
Wood
Weight (W) (Newton’s) Applied Force (grams)
5 90 0.8829
10 180 1.7658
15 230 2.2563
20 350 3.4335

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Ciara Stynes A00261787 B.Eng. Mech. & Polymer Year 1 Grp.2
Friction 1(a) + 1(b)

25 400 3.924
30 450 4.4145

Perplex
Weight (W) (Newton’s)
Applied Force (F) (grams)
5 220 2.1582
10 380 3.7278
15 510 5.0031
20 600 5.886
25 720 7.0632

8
f(x) = 0.239364 x + 1.1772
7

6
Applied Force (N)

f(x) = 0.144627428571429 x + 0.24852 Wood

4
Linear (Wood)
3 Perplex
Linear (Perplex)
2

0
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35

Weight (N)

Coefficient of friction for Wood: 0.2394

Coefficient of friction for Perplex: 0.1446

Conclusions
Friction is the force that opposes the motion of a body. There are two different types of friction,
kinetic and static, where static friction is greater than kinetic friction. Static friction is the friction that
exist between a stationary object and the surface it is on and kinetic friction is the friction between
two objects moving relative to each other (Wood, 2019).
Limiting friction is the friction that exist between two objects when the friction force equals the applied
force. This causes the object to move with a steady velocity and is the bases of this experiment.

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Ciara Stynes A00261787 B.Eng. Mech. & Polymer Year 1 Grp.2
Friction 1(a) + 1(b)

Using the results obtained from this experiment the coefficient of friction and the mass of the slider
were calculated.

Error is this experiment may be due to:

o The surfaces of the slider and plane may not have been completely clean.
o The pen marks on the plane may have sked the results.
o The applied mass may have been applied from a small height, changing the applied force.
o Any bumps or movement of the table would change the applied force required.
o Non-uniformity of the block surface.

References
 Lab Notes
 O'Callaghan, J. (2017). Friction. [ebook] Available at:
https://elearning.ait.ie/pluginfile.php/244009/mod_resource/content/1/7.%20Friction.pdf
[Accessed 1 Dec. 2018].
 Wood, D. (2019). Static Friction: Definition, Formula & Examples - Video & Lesson Transcript
| Study.com. [online] Study.com. Available at: https://study.com/academy/lesson/static-
friction-definition-formula-examples.html [Accessed 28 Jan. 2019].

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