One of the main issues in the watch industry is reduce the friction and sticking between moving components. To achieve this, a small quantity of lubricant is added in the contact. However, due to the high expectations of the costumers, the increased lifetime of the watch, the size and geometry of components and contact conditions (loads in the mN range), there is a huge need to develop a tool that can evaluate such lubricating tribo-systems. The main challenge is to perform precision frictional measurements, in conditions that simulate the “actual” application.
WHY ? : Abrasion and erosion mechanisms are quite different from each other, and can lead to very different material behaviour. For instance, a hard and brittle surface may be very resistant to abrasion, but sensitive to erosion under 90° impact.
HOW ? : Using two separate test systems :