Another approach to studying friction processes

The paper describes experiments on friction of polymers under atmospheric and vacuum conditions by using mass-spectrometry and plasma induced thermal luminescence methods. The approach is illustrated by the examples of friction of polyoxymethylene against polyoxymethylene and steel. The observed decrease in the amount of short segments of macromolecules involved in $\gamma$-relaxation observed in thermal luminescence experiments has been tentatively interpreted by variations in their conformation upon friction-induced orientation of the macromolecules in subsurface layers and rupture of macromolecular bonds.