Friction and abrasive wear of UHWMPE sliding on ice

The authors present an experimental approach of abrasion resistance of material currently used in ski: ultra high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) is used as the main element of ski sole: cross country skiing, speed skiing, alpine skiing, …. The aim of this work is to characterise abrasive wear and tribological performance of ski sole when one slides on ice in different conditions of loads, ice roughness and temperature. In order to better understand the abrasive action of ice, experiments using ice with different roughness (characterised by different morphological parameters) are performed under different kinematical and thermal conditions. For this purpose, we employed especially designed tribometer in controlled atmosphere enclosure (defined in relation with the use of in situ conditions). In this study, both normal and tangential forces are measured during the friction experiments. To complete the characterisation of the friction process, 3D surfaces topography is measured in order to evaluate abrasive process and consequences on its tribological performance. Furthermore, it improves understanding of abrasion mechanisms of UHMWPE on ice.