Studying superlubricity with the oscillating relaxation tribometer

The study of tribosystems that could exhibit superlubricious behavior requires appropriate tools and method. Measuring ultralow friction level on a mesoscale contact is challenging, due to the sensitivity limitations of friction force sensors and classical tribometers. In order to overcome this problem, we have developed an innovative technique, based on the study of the damping due to a sliding interface to be characterized. With the “oscillating relaxation tribometer,” we can accurately characterize both low levels of friction, and the so-called “friction laws,” giving the evolution of friction with sliding velocity. The technique is briefly described, some examples are given and different perspectives are presented.