A cost effective test system for micro-tribology experiments

There is considerable interest in the development of micro-tribology measurement techniques. This is important not only for the assessment of tribological contacts in MEMS devices, but also as a tool that can be used to develop better understanding of the mechanisms that occur in macro-scale contacts from the interaction of asperities on the two contacting surfaces. This paper describes a simple cost-effective test system for micro-tribology experiments. This system is designed to make use of off the shelf high technology components, and is designed so that in situ experiments can be carried out in the scanning electron microscope. The utility of the test system is demonstrated by the results of experiments on WC/Co hardmetals, and also on a range of ceramic and carbon based coatings.