Rock tribology explores the variation in wear and friction between rocks of different mineral and chemical composition and under various different geological and environmental conditions.
In the oil, gas and mining industries the wear behaviour of rocks is critical. Studies of factors such as boreability, cuttability, and abrasivity play a key part in the understanding and also control of losses attributed to the repair and replacement of drill bits and other cutting tools.
Rock tribology research allows us to choose the most effective cutting and drilling strategies as well as designing and selecting the most effective tooling.
In this application note the Nanovea Tribometer is used to compare the tribological properties of two different rock types, marble and limestone. In particular the coefficient of friction (COF) and wear resistance were evaluated. a 6mm Al2O3 ball was used as the counter material and afterwards the wear track was scanned using the Nanovea Non-Contact Profilometer.
