Engineering Experiment on Friction free essay sample

This paper tests the co-efficient of friction and how it differs when weight and surface type are changed. The following paper aims to find the force required to move blocks of different weights across different surfaces, thus finding a value for friction and comparing the results with that of a textbook and recording any differences. The conclusion found in this paper is that friction is directly proportional to the weight force applied and is measured in terms of the coefficient of friction, represented by the Greek letter mu (m). The coefficient of friction is the ratio of the frictional force present and the normal reaction to the mating surfaces and is represented as, m = Ff Rn Rn = Normal reaction, weight force Fn = Frictional force But may also be worked out by dividing the force required in Kg by the weight of the object. Eg the force required to move a 25Kg object is 5Kg so to work out the coefficient of the object we would divide 5 by 25 to give a coefficient of 0. We will write a custom essay sample on Engineering Experiment on Friction or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page 2. Because of this the surface area of the block is independent to that of the coefficient and is not needed when determining a value for friction. The coefficient of wood against wood is 0.35 giving a relatively low value for friction whereas rubber against concrete is 0.8 meaning it would be hard to slide rubber on concrete. The coefficient can be greatly reduced if a lubricant of some sort is applied in between the surfaces as it forms a layer preventing the bumps on the surfaces rubbing together making it easier to slide the objects past each other.