Abstract
FOLLOWING the work of Bowden, Gregory and Tabor1, we have made friction-temperature measurements on mono- and multi-layers of calcium stearate and stearic acid on various metals. These authors stated that for each metal the transition from smooth to stick-slip sliding and a rise in the friction occurred at the melting or softening point of a surface film of metal soap produced by reaction with the fatty acid. It seemed, therefore, that in mixed films of soap and acid there should be fluctuations in the friction curve corresponding to the melting points of the substances present.
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References
Bowden, F. P., Gregory, J. N., and Tabor, D., Nature, 156, 97 (1945).
Blodgett, K., J. Amer. Uhem. Soc., 67, 1007 (1935).
Langmuir, and Schaefer, V. J., J. Amer. Chem. Soc., 58, 284 (1936).
Dupré la Tour, Ann. de Phys., 18, 199 (1932).
Ballantyne, C. S. I. R., (Tribophysics) Report No. A 137 (1945).
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GREGORY, J., SPINK, J. Lubricating Properties of Molecular Layers of Stearic Acid and Calcium Stearate on Metal Surfaces. Nature 159, 403 (1947). https://doi.org/10.1038/159403a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/159403a0
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