Recent Patents on Friction and Wear Tester

Background: Friction and wear of machine parts seriously affect the service life and efficiency. The assessment of the friction and wear characteristics of parts is important in the mechanical industry. The mechanism of friction and wear is complex. Thus, there is no systematic theory on friction and wear so far. The friction and wear characteristics of materials or parts must be examined through tests. Thus, friction and wear tester plays an important role in tribological research. The functionality and accuracy of the tester are crucial for testing. Objective: This study summarizes the current development status of the friction and wear testers, and explains the development trend of friction and wear testers. Methods: This article reviews various representative patents on friction and wear tester. The friction and wear testers are classified. The characteristics of different detection methods are analyzed, and the problems existing in the current development are summarized and analyzed. Results: The advantages and disadvantages of the related patents of the existing friction and wear testers are analyzed. It is found that there are main problems, such as low detection accuracy, low efficiency, and incomplete functions. The development trend of friction and wear tester is expected in the future. Conclusion: The optimization and progress of friction and wear testers are conducive to improving the wear resistance of materials, the service life of parts, and the working accuracy of machines. In the future, more friction and wear testers will be invented.