Surface Wear Monitoring with a Non-Vibrating Capacitance Probe

This study concerns the design and development of the non-vibrating capacitance probe which could be used as a non-contact sensor for tribological wear. This device detects surface charge through temporal variation in the work function of a material. Experiments are performed to demonstrate the operation of the probe on a roating aluminum shaft. The reference electrode of the probe, made of lead, is placed adjacent (< 1.25-mm distance) to the shaft. Both surfaces which are electrically connected, form a capacitor. An artificial spatial variation in the work function is imposed on the shaft surface by coating a segment along the shaft circumference with a colloidal silver paint. As the shaft rotates, the reference electode senses changing contact potential difference with the shaft surface, owing to compositional variation. Temporal variation in the contact potential difference induces a current through the electrical connection. This current is amplified and converted to a voltage signal by an electoronic circuit with an operational amplifier. The magnitude of the signal decreases asymptotically with the electrode-shaft distance and increases linearly with the rotational frequency. These results are consistent with the theoretical model. Potential applications of the probe on wear monitoring are proposed.