The Contact Resistance and Mechanical Properties of Surface Films on Metals

Abstract

The nature of the contact between sliding metal surfaces has been investigated by measuring the electrical contact resistance and the coefficient of friction between them. Observations were made over a wide range of conditions which extended down to very light loads of only a few milligrammes so that the influence of surface films might be studied. Many noble and base metals have been investigated in both clean and lubricated states. The contact between certain typical pairs of dissimilar metals has also been studied.