Effects of Sliding Speed on the Intensity of Triboluminescence in Slide contact: Experimental Measurements and Theoretical Analyses

Triboluminescence (TL) is the emission of light produced by rubbing or striking two materials together. Here, the light emission has been observed from the sliding contact between two disks under dry condition. The effects of the sliding speed on the intensity of TL have been experimentally investigated. The results show that the intensity of the emission light increases significantly with the sliding speed. A theoretical model is also proposed and an analytical expression is deduced for the intensity of TL in the slide contact. The theoretical prediction is found consistent with the experimental results. The present work may be helpful to the understanding of the mechanism of light emission when friction.