The aim of the study was to verify the consistency of surface free energy (SFE) values for the tested materials by applying different methods for calculating contact angles measured on ceramic materials (ZrN and TiAlN coatings) deposited using the Arc-PVD method. The paper presents the results of a statistical analysis of contact angle measurements in terms of the correctness of the measurement procedure, verification of sample homogeneity, and the consistency of surface free energy measurement results for two measurement methods. The conducted research indicates the consistency of the results of both measurement methods. A statistical procedure for verifying results was proposed – criteria for rejecting results as erroneous and repeating them.The measure of the inequivalence of forces in the interfacial region resulting from various types of intermolecular interactions is the interfacial tension, which for the liquid-gas and solid-gas phase boundaries is commonly called surface tension. Determining the surface free energy of polymers and plastics – as well as other materials, e.g., ceramic materials – has wide application in many operational processes. The wettability of material surfaces by lubricating liquids plays a decisive role in tribological systems. Adhesive bonding, which is one of the wear mechanisms in a friction node, is strongly correlated with the SFE values of the materials forming the friction node. A visual measure of wettability is the so-called contact angle, the magnitude of which is closely related to the surface free energy of the solid and liquid, as well as the solid-liquid interfacial energy. However, measuring the contact angle is not a simple matter. (…)
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Source: Logistyka Magazine