134 FRICTION
impends
down
the
plane,
the
angle
a is
defined
as
the
angle
of
repose.
Since
the
body
is in
equilibrium
under
the
action
of the
two
forces
R,
the
reaction
of the
plane,
and
W,
its
weight,
these
forces
must be
equal,
opposite,
and
collinear.
Hence the
reaction
R
is
vertical.
Further-
more,
the
angle
which
R makes with the
normal
to the
plane
is
<,
the
angle
of fric-
tion. It is evident from
the
figure
that
the
angles
a
and
</>
are
equal.
The
angle
of
repose
for two surfaces
can be found eas-
ily by experiment,
after
which the coeffi-
cient friction
for
the
surfaces
may
be found
from the relation
IJL
tan
=
tan
a.
68. The
Laws of Friction.
One
of
the earliest contributions
to our
knowledge
of the laws of friction
was
made
by Coulomb,
who
published,
in
1781,
the results of
experiments
on the friction of
plane
dry
surfaces.
Later
experiments
by
Morin
confirmed,
in
the
main,
the results obtained
by
Coulomb. The
results
of the
experiments
of Morin on
dry
surfaces,
published
in
1831,
may
be
stated as
follows :
1. The friction between
two
bodies when
motion
is
impending
(limiting
friction)
is
proportional
to
the
normal
pressure;
that
is,
the coefficient of friction
is
independent
of the normal
pressure.
2. The coefficient of static
friction
is
independent
of the area
of contact.
3.
The coefficient of kinetic friction is
less than
the coefficient
of static friction
and is
independent
of the
relative
velocity
of
the
rubbing
surfaces.
Although
these laws are
probably
correct for the
conditions
under which the tests were
made,
they
must be modified
in
order
to
apply
to friction
which
is
developed
under conditions
quite
dif-
ferent
from those found in the
experiments.
The
pressures
used
in the
experiments
of Morin varied from
f
Ib.
per square
inch to
100 Ib.
per square
inch.
It has been found
in
later
experiments
that for
pressures
less than
f
Ib.
per
square
inch the value
of the
coefficient
of static friction increases
somewhat.
For
very
great
pressures
the coefficient also
increases. The
highest
velocity
used
in
Morin's
experiments
was 10
ft.
per
sec. For
greater
velocities than
this it has
been
found
in later
experiments
that