1 Coefficient of Friction

When an object, such as a block of wood, is placed on a floor and sufficient force is applied to the
block, with the force being parallel to the floor, the block slides across the floor. When the force is
removed, motion of the block stops; thus there is a force which resists sliding. This force is called
dynamic friction. A force may be applied to the block, which is insufficient to move it. In this case,
the force resisting motion is called the static friction. Thus there are two categories into which a
frictional force may be split:

1) dynamic or sliding friction force which occurs when motion is taking place, and
2) static friction force which occurs before motion takes place.

There are three factors that affect the magnitude and direction of frictional forces.

1) The magnitude of the frictional force depends on the type of surface (a block of wood slides
more easily on a polished metal surface than on a rough concrete surface).
2) The magnitude of the frictional force depends on the magnitude of the force acting at right
angles to the surfaces in contact, called the normal force; thus, if the weight of a block of
wood is doubled, the frictional force is doubled when it is sliding on the same surface
3) The direction of the frictional force is always opposite to the direction of motion. Thus the
frictional force opposes motion, as shown in Figure 2-1.

Figure 2-1: Frictional Forces Resisting a Block Sliding on a Flat Surface

The coefficient of friction (μ) is a measure of the amount of friction existing between two surfaces. A
low value of coefficient of friction indicates that the force required for sliding to occur is less than
the force required when the coefficient of friction is high. Note that the dynamic CoF is normally
lower than the static CoF. The value of the coefficient of friction is given by:

frictional force ( F )
μ=
normal force ( N )
Transposing this shows the frictional force can be determined as the product of the coefficient of
friction and the normal force;
F=μN
The directions of these forces are shown below in Figure 2-2.

Figure 2-2: The Directions of the Normal and Frictional Forces

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Dr John Kelly – Jan 2019
1.1 Friction on an Inclined Plane
Consider a mass lying on an inclined plane, as shown in Figure 2-3. If the direction of motion of this
mass is down the plane, then the frictional force (F) will act up the plane.

Figure 2-3: The Direction of the Frictional Force on an Inclined Plane

Now the weight of the mass is mg and this causes two component forces to act on the mass (as
covered in Lab 1), i.e. a component of the weight pushing the mass onto the plane ( mg cos θ ), and
the component of the weight pushing the mass down the plane ( mg sin θ ), (see Error: Reference
source not found).

Figure 2-4: The Components of the Weight of a Mass on an Inclined Plane

Assuming that the mass is on the verge of moving, the system is in a state of equilibrium, hence
(referring back to the directions in Figure 2-2);

∑ F x =0 ∴ F=mgsi nθ∧∑ F y =0 ∴ N=mg cos θ

F mg sin ⁡θ sin ⁡θ
μ= = =
N mg cos ⁡θ cos ⁡θ
where,
opposite
sin ⁡θ hypotenuse opposite
= = =tanθ
cos ⁡θ adjacent adjacent
hypotenuse

TecQuipment Ltd • Bonsall Street • Long Eaton • Nottingham NG10 2AN • United Kingdom
Dr John Kelly – Jan 2019
Hence, we do not need to find values for the component forces to calculate the coefficient of
friction, since μ=tan θ .

1.2 Experiments
In our experiments we are evaluating the static Coefficient of Friction since the sled is at rest at the
beginning of the experiment. Each group of students will carry out a total of 9 experiments with
different combinations of sled material and plane material. Each student should take responsibility
for 3 experiments. During the experiments students only need to record the angle, of the plane, at
which the sled begins to slide. This angle if often referred to as the (critical) angle of repose. If
students have access to Excel during the lab, they can set up a spreadsheet to calculate the
coefficient of friction in real time.

1.3 Experimental Procedure

Figure 2-5: The Experimental Set-Up for the Coefficient of Friction Experiments

 Attach the Metal Friction Plate under the Sled, and remove any surfaces which have been added
to the plane, to give a metal-metal surface. When the surface has been attached to the sled it
sits proud of the wheels so that the wheels are not in contact with the plane, and cannot roll
(see Figure 2-6).
 Put the Sled on the Plane at the far right.
 Loosen the screw at the front of the apparatus and adjust the angle until the sled starts to move.
 Retighten the screw at the front and ensure that the screws at the back are also tight, before
placing the sled back at the far right of the plane.
 If the sled moves rapidly along the plane reduce the angle slightly.
 We want to find the point where the sled is just on the verge of moving.

TecQuipment Ltd • Bonsall Street • Long Eaton • Nottingham NG10 2AN • United Kingdom
Dr John Kelly – Jan 2019
 When you think that you have the correct angle set, tap gently on the top of the board to see
that the sled moves.
 In theory once the sled begins to move it should continue to slide all the way to the stop on the
left-hand side of the plane, since the dynamic CoF is lower (and hence the angle required is
shallower). Continue to tap on the top of the board to verify that the sled slides all the way
down.
 If the sled will not move all along the plane, when you are tapping the board, adjust the angle
slightly. You will need to use a bit of judgement here since, with some of the material
combinations, the sled gets stuck half way down, but, when you adjust the angle it slides rapidly
from the top but then gets stuck again.
 Record the angle that you decide best represents the angle of repose for static friction, in the
table provided in section Error: Reference source not found.
 Repeat these steps for the remaining 8 material combinations.

Figure 2-6: Fitting the Friction Surfaces to the Sled

TecQuipment Ltd • Bonsall Street • Long Eaton • Nottingham NG10 2AN • United Kingdom
Dr John Kelly – Jan 2019