FRICTION
It is the force of resistance offered to motion,experienced by bodies which are in contact. It
depends upon the normal reaction between the contacting surfaces and the nature of the
surfaces. No surface is absolutely friction less.
Friction plays an important role in our daily life. It would not be possible to walk without
friction between our foot and floor. Vehicles are able to run on roads because of the friction
between the wheels and road.
Types of friction
1 Static friction
2 Dynamic friction
1 Static friction
The friction between two solid objects when at rest is called static friction.
Eg. Static friction can prevent an object from sliding down on a sloped surface. Limiting
friction
When the frictional force (F) is equal to the applied pulling force (P) then the friction
between two surfaces is known as limiting friction. (i.e F=P)
2 Dynamic friction
It is the friction between two objects, when are in motion is called dynamic friction. It is
also called kinetic friction.
Sliding friction
It is the friction experienced by an object when its slides over another object. Sliding friction
is always less than limiting friction.
Rolling friction
It is the friction that occurs when a circular object such as a ball or roller rolls on a flat
surface. Rolling friction is less than sliding friction. (ball or roller bearing)
Forces acting on a body when a pulling force is applied to move (Fig 2)
• Weight of the block acting vertically downward (W)
• The normal reaction which acts upwards (R)
• The applied pulling force (F)
• The frictional force (Ff)
When the body is about to move W=R, F=P
When pulling force is increased the body starts to move.
Laws of friction (Fig 3 & 4)
• Frictional force is directly proportional to the normal reaction between contacting
surfaces.
• Frictional force acts opposite to the direction of motion.
• Frictional force depends on the nature of contacting surfaces.
• Frictional force is independent over the area and shape
Coefficient of friction
It is a ratio between the frictional force to the normalreaction when the body is just about
to move but atequilibrium. It is represented by symbol . (read as ‘meu’)
Angle of friction (Fig 5)
The forces acting on a body when it is just about to moveby the application of a pulling force
are W, R, P and F. Theforces ‘R’ and ‘F’ are compounded and we get the resultant force ‘S’.
The angle formed by ‘S’ with ‘R’ is the angle of friction.
A body placed on an inclined surface remains at rest tillthe angle of inclination equals the
angle of friction. Whenit exceeds the body starts sliding down. This is known as angle of
repose.
Advantages of friction
1 Helps us to walk without slipping.
2 Used to stop vehicles when brakes are applied.
3 Movement of vehicles due to friction between revolving
wheels with tyres and the road.
4 Power transmission using gear drive or belt pulley drive.
5 Using friction we can sharp any object and also to hold
it.
6 Nails and screws are held in wood by friction.
7 Heat is produced when two rough surfaces are rubbed
against each other.
Disadvantages of friction
1 It causes wear and tear of the machine parts.
2 It produces heat and may cause melting of machine
parts. To avoid production of heat using of coolant is necessary.
