Tribocorrosion test protocols for sliding contacts

Tribocorrosion is a term used to refer to material degradation resulting from a combination of tribological and corrosion processes. To understand better the interaction between wear and corrosion, and consequently to develop highly resistant materials, the materials development and testing community is in need of new experimental instruments and testing protocols. In this chapter, we present tribocorrosion rigs where electrochemical and tribological loadings can be applied simultaneously. Tribocorrosion testing protocols for sliding contact are discussed with the emphasis on advantages and disadvantages of using imposed vs free potential measurements. The imposed potential technique creates artificial oxidizing conditions and provides more quantitative data on synergism between wear and corrosion, whereas the free potential technique reproduces more closely the field conditions with less quantitative data.