The aim of the thesis is the experimental characterisation of the friction between steel and a brittle material. The desired pressures and the desired sliding velocities are respectively of the order of 10-100 MPa and 10-100 m/s. Usual tribometers cannot be used because the desired pressures are high enough to fracture the brittle material. The material has to be confined to overcome this difficulty. A cylindrical sample of the material is therefore inserted into a steel tube which acts both as a confinement and a sliding surface. Such a configuration does not enable to carry on direct measurements on the interface, the friction parameters are thus identified from indirect measurements and from analytical and numerical models. Two types of set-up have been designed to carry on both quasi-static tests and tests on split Hopkinson pressure bars. Quasi-static tests enable a reliable identification of friction and show that the desired pressures can be reached with our configuration whilst retaining the brittle material integrity. Unfortunately, the results obtained with split Hopkinson pressure bars are not satisfactory. A set-up specifically adapted to dynamic situations has thus been designed. It enables identification of friction under pressure of 100 MPa and velocities of 10 m/s.
