Laboratory and Robot Wear Test Selection for Computer Peripherals

This paper discusses unique wear tests used to address wear problems in computer peripherals. These examples include some for which tribometers were developed and others which involved the use of modified machines or machine sub-assemblies. The former type tests are referred to as laboratory wear tests; the latter, robot wear tests. Several of the tests are related to the wear associated with paper, printer ribbons, and magnetic tape. Because of the low wear resistance of these materials, special test configurations are required to characterize the wear resistance of much harder materials to wear by these materials. Tests, used to addressed conditions of sliding, combined impact and sliding, and combined slip and rolling in computer applications, are also described. The correlation of these tests with field performance, the modification of these tests for different types of materials, and the relationship of these tests to engineering wear models are discussed. The general methodology that was used in the development and selection of these tests is also presented. These tests were used in several ways to support machine development and product engineering programs associated with impact and non-impact printing, check sorting, magnetic recording, and electronic packaging. One was to determine wear coefficients needed for wear life projections of components and designs. A second was the ranking of materials in terms of their wear resistance to support material selection. A third was the evaluation of the effects of different design parameters on wear, such as alignment, roughness, shape, and load.