Experimental investigation of stick-slip behaviors in dry sliding friction

Friction-induced vibration, particularly the bothersome stick-slip behavior, is a significant contributor to machine damage and component failure. In this study, the vibrational displacement, sound pressure, and coefficient of friction (COF) of several metal or alloy samples in dry conditions are tested using a reciprocating friction force test apparatus. It is found that the stick-slip behavior is more likely to occur at low sliding speeds and high normal loads. Furthermore, under the same working conditions, increasing the surface roughness of the sample or enhancing the hardness difference between the sample and the counterpart can mitigate the stick-slip behavior during the friction process. By analyzing the characteristic parameters of the stick-slip behavior, it is found that the temporal period and the stick-time decrease significantly with an increase in relative sliding speed. Additionally, the amplitude and intensity of the friction-induced noise increases with the increase of the relative sliding speed and normal load. The frequencies of the sound pressure are primarily concentrated around the natural frequency of the frictional system. Finally, we extract the COF and find that the average COF as well as the maximum and minimum COF first decreases sharply, and then becomes stable with the increase of the relative sliding speed due to the transition of friction state from stick-slip behavior to smooth sliding. •Stick-slip behaviors can be mitigated by increasing the surface roughness and the hardness difference between friction pair.•The temporal period of the stick-slip behavior decreases with the increase of the relative sliding speed.•The frequencies of the friction-induced noise are concentrated around the natural frequency of the friction system.•The transition of friction state from stick-slip behavior to smooth sliding results in the reduction of the COF.