Coefficient of Friction Tester
Overview
The objective was to design a custom-engineered apparatus that provides a precise and repeatable method for testing the coefficient of friction between various materials. Drawing inspiration from the ASTM E8M standard, the mechanism pulls a material "sled" across a stationary "substrate". To achieve this controlled motion, the assembly integrates a linear positioning rail, a load cell, a NEMA 23 stepper motor, and a custom laser-cut stand designed to house both the testing materials and the controller.
Testing
This footage demonstrates the tester smoothly sliding one metal sample over another under tightly controlled conditions. The system utilizes its load cell to capture precise force measurements, generating datasets that were subsequently processed and visualized into graphs using MATLAB.
Design
The apparatus was fabricated using a NEMA 23 stepper motor, laser-cut wood, a high-precision Newton meter, and a custom electronics box, which houses the power supply and stepper motor controller efficiently.