Abstract
The coefficient of friction (CoF) between the deflection pulley and rope in a lift strongly affects the life span of the rope. Although surface roughness is a key factor affecting the metallic pulley–rope CoF, its effect on polymeric pulleys is unknown. The present study analyses the effect of roughness and working conditions on cast polyamide 6 (PA6G) deflection pulley–thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU)-coated rope contacts. The statistical analysis revealed that the effect of surface roughness on the CoF for low-load tests was significant. The present study contributes significantly to parameter selection in deflection pulley machining to minimise friction between the pulley and rope.
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Acknowledgements
This work was financially supported by the Basque Government under the “Programa de Red Guipuzcoana de Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación” (Project ASEFI: Investigación y análisis de estrategias para incrementar la eficiencia energética del ascensor, Ref. 76187) and by ORONA EIC.
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Ainhoa GUINEA. She received her bachelor degree in mechanical engineering in 2021 from Mondragon University, Spain. This publication is related to the research she conducted during her degree’s final project. Presently, she is a Ph.D. student at the same university, working in collaboration with two research groups, surface technologies and advanced material forming processes. Her doctoral work focuses on developing a design tool for surface textures applied to tools in sheet metal forming applications. This involves modeling contact in the mixed lubrication regime, considering surface topography, and implementing prediction models for ultrafast laser process parameter selection.
Alaitz ZABALA. She received her B.S. and Ph.D. degrees in mechanical engineering from Mondragon University, Spain, in 2010 and 2016, respectively. She is the coordinator of the Surface Technologies research group at Mondragon University since 2018. Her research interests include tribology, surface metrology, and surface functionalization applied to a wide range of industrial applications.
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Guinea, A., Aginagalde, A., Tato, W. et al. Impact of surface roughness on the coefficient of friction of polymer-on-polymer contacts for deflection pulley-rope systems in the lift industry. Friction (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40544-024-0881-8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40544-024-0881-8