slijtesters

Slijtesters are laboratory devices designed to simulate sliding contact between a material and a counterface in order to quantify wear resistance, friction, and durability. They are used to compare materials, coatings, and surface treatments under controlled tribological conditions.

In a typical slijtester setup, a specimen is mounted and brought into contact with a counterface such as a pin, ball, or disk. The system applies a defined normal load while the counterface moves relative to the specimen. Tests may be dry or lubricated, and parameters such as load, sliding speed, stroke length, temperature, and duration are specified. Wear is quantified by weight or volume loss, dimension changes, or profilometry of the wear track, while friction or coefficient of friction is recorded from forces or torques during the test. Post-test analysis often includes microscopy to identify wear mechanisms.

Common configurations include pin-on-disk, pin-on-flat, ball-on-disk, and reciprocating wear testers. The Taber Abraser is a widely used commercial abrasion tester. These devices are employed in automotive, electronics, polymers, ceramics, and coatings research, as well as in quality control and material development to assess wear performance and tribological properties.

Standards from ISO and ASTM guide test methods and reporting, emphasizing comparable conditions and transparent documentation of load, speed, duration, environment, and counterface material. Results are typically expressed as wear rate, weight loss, or friction coefficient and are used to rank materials or coatings under defined sliding conditions.