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Tribological Properties of Sliding Shale Rock–Alumina Contact in Hydraulic Fracturing

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Abstract

Tribological properties of rock/metal/ceramic/rock contact determine the behaviors of earth-moving activities. In this study, tribological performance of shale rock–alumina contact was examined. Experimental results show that friction of the contact is determined by liquid media at the interface. Tribofilm is found to form on the wear track. According to elementary analysis, hard materials in original shale rock or generated during sliding process aggregate on the surface, producing the tribofilm. Coefficient of friction between shale rock and alumina increases with load, which is attributed to increased real contact area under higher load. Findings in this research provide preliminary understanding of tribological properties of shale rock–alumina contact, which benefits further study of rock–ceramic contact and related industrial applications.

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Acknowledgments

Support by National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 51575529) and Science Foundation of China University of Petroleum, Beijing (Nos. 2462014YJRC049, 2462015YQ0401, and 2462015YQ0403), was acknowledged.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Mechanical and Transportation Engineering, China University of Petroleum-Beijing, Beijing, 102249, China

    Huaping Xiao, Shuhai Liu & Deguo Wang

  2. Laboratory of Tribology and Surface Engineering, China University of Petroleum-Beijing, Beijing, 102249, China

    Huaping Xiao & Shuhai Liu

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  1. Huaping Xiao
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  2. Shuhai Liu
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  3. Deguo Wang
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Correspondence to Huaping Xiao or Shuhai Liu.

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Xiao, H., Liu, S. & Wang, D. Tribological Properties of Sliding Shale Rock–Alumina Contact in Hydraulic Fracturing. Tribol Lett 62, 20 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11249-016-0667-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11249-016-0667-x

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