The Development and Use of Thin Film Thermocouples for Contact Temperature Measurement

A procedure was developed for producing thin film thermocouples (TFTC) on the contact surface of sliding mechanical components. The thermocouple devices were made from thin films of vapor-deposited copper and nickel. The measuring junctions of the thermocouples were approximately 2 μm thick and between 80 μm and 300 μm across. The TFTC devices were found to have extremely rapid (< 1 μS) response to a sudden temperature change and did not significantly disturb the heat flow from the sliding contact. It was found necessary to sandwich the TFTC between thin films of a hard, non-conducting ceramic (Al₂O₃ in the current work) to insulate the thermocouple electrically from the substrate and protect it during sliding.

Thin film thermocouple devices were applied to the measurement of sliding surface temperatures in two cases, oscillatory dry sliding of a polymer pin on a flat surface, and uni-directional dry sliding of a ring over a flat pin surface. Results from the tests verified theoretical predictions.     

高温氧气条件下CrNiMo钢的摩擦磨损特性研究

以CrNiMo钢和H96黄铜组成配副,利用QG-700型高温气氛摩擦磨损试验机,研究了高温氧气气氛环境中滑动速度、接触压力等对CrNiMo钢摩擦学特性的影响.采用扫描电子显微镜(SEM)和能谱仪(EDS)对磨损表面进行表征.结果表明:在高温氧气气氛中,随着滑动速度和接触压力的增大,摩擦因数逐渐减小,磨损率逐渐增大.在滑动速度和接触压力逐渐增大的过程中,CrNiMo钢的主要磨损机制由粘着磨损转变为氧化磨损.     

Characterization of wear scar surfaces using combined three-dimensional topographic analysis and contact resistance measurements

In this paper, a technique for the quantitative characterization of wear scar surfaces, using combined three-dimensional topographical analysis and contact resistance measurements, is introduced. Parameters for the characterization of wear surfaces, developed during sliding of pin-on-disk specimens in oxygen at high temperature, such as wear volume, roughness, average wear depth on the disk specimen, surface coverage by wear-protective oxide layers and their distributions over the wear surface, are presented and calculated. Such analyses provide more effective data for the analysis of wear processes and wear mechanisms.This method has been applied to the analysis of dry reciprocating sliding wear of a nickel-base alloy, N80A, at temperatures to 600°C. It was found that there was usually a difference between the wear rates of the pin and the disk. This difference increased with increase in temperature, the wear of the pin being much less than that of the disk at the higher temperatures. Although the total wear of both the pin and the disk decreased considerably with increase in temperature, the damage to the disk, judged by the wear depth of the scar, was much higher at elevated temperatures than at low temperatures. The roughnesses of the wear surfaces generally increased with increase in temperature. Less than 50% coverage of the scar surfaces by wear-protective oxide layers was sufficient for the severe-to-mild wear transition. However, the distribution of the wear-protective layers over the wear surfaces was non-uniform. Most of them were concentrated near the centre of the scar, along the sliding direction, under the present conditions. These features of the wear scar surfaces were mainly related to the adhesion and compaction of wear debris particles onto the wear surfaces, leading to development of the wear-protective layers at the various temperatures.     

Tribological Behavior of Rice Bran Ceramics in a Vacuum Environment

ABSTRACT

In this study, we investigated the friction and wear of rice bran (RB) ceramics—hard porous carbon materials made from rice bran—in a vacuum environment. Sliding friction tests for RB ceramic pin–RB ceramic disk contact were performed using a pin-on-disk-type friction tester installed in a vacuum chamber. The ambient pressure was controlled at 0.02, 0.6, 30, and 10⁵ Pa (i.e., atmospheric pressure). The normal load was 0.49 or 2.94 N, the sliding velocity was 0.01 or 0.1 m/s, and the number of friction cycles was 50,000. The friction coefficient tended to decrease with decreasing ambient pressure for all combinations of normal load and sliding velocity; by contrast, the specific wear rate of the RB ceramic pin and disk specimens tended to increase with decreasing ambient pressure. The friction coefficient exhibited a low value of 0.05 or less at 0.02 Pa. The results suggested that the reduced surface roughness and graphitization of the sliding surface of the RB ceramic pin and disk due to induced friction, as well as the increased ratio between the partial pressure of water vapor and the ambient pressure, are related to the reduction in the friction of RB ceramic–RB ceramic dry sliding contact under vacuum conditions.     

Wear characteristics of a diffusion bonded sintered steel with short term surface treatments

A pin on disc machine was used to investigate the tribological behavior of a diffusion bonded sintered steel, with and without surface treatments of steam oxidation and manganese phosphating, over a wide range of speed (0.2–4 m/s) and applied load (4–500 N) in conditions of dry sliding and starved lubrication by oil impregnation of the porous structure of the materials. Besides the calculated wear rates, the wear mechanisms were determined by examination of the components of the rubbing system (sintered pin, disc and generated debris). A transition from a mild to a severe wear regime was identified, denoted by sharp changes of the wear rate. A transient wear regime, interposed between the mild and severe wear regimes, was detected. The rubbing surface quality degradation was in terms of material displacement around the pin circumference due to a delamination wear mechanism. Such regime was detected for the base sintered steel in dry sliding at 1 m/s for the load range 60–80 N and for both surface treatments in oil impregnated sliding at 0.5 m/s for the load range 200–300 N. Oil impregnation of the base sintered steel expanded the mild wear regime towards higher loads throughout the whole sliding speed range compared to dry sliding. For the lower speeds of 0.2 and 0.5 m/s, manganese phosphated samples in dry sliding exhibited higher transition loads compared to the base sintered steel. The lower oil impregnability of the surface treated samples, due to the sealing of porosity by steam oxidation, led to slightly lower transition loads in oil impregnated sliding, compared to the base sintered steel.     

Wear of Unlubricated Steel Surfaces in Sliding Contact

Observations have been made of the wear from an SAE 1113 steel pin specimen rubbing on a SAE 113 steel disk in a normal laboratory atmosphere in relation to normal load (0.5–10.4 lbf), slidinq speed (21–188 ft/sec), sliding distance and track history. As a function of sliding distance, three regions are observed; (i) initial severe wear, (ii) mild wear resultinq from the formation of oxide layers on both the pin specimen and transferred particles adhering to the track, (iii) a milder wear, due to the attainment of a uniform track condition. The wear rate measured in (ii) is observed to be proportional to normal load for constant (normal load)^1/2 × (sliding speed) provided that the magnitude of this parameter is insufficient to cause periodic removal of the surface film. This conclusion is shown to be compatible with earlier theoretical predictions when the presence of an oxide layer was pre-supposed. Unlike the coefficient of friction which is primarily determined by the pin surface condition only, the pin wear rate depends on the conditions of both the pin and track surface.     

Mild Sliding Wear of Fe–0.2%C,Ti–6%Al–4%V and Al-7072: A Comparative Study

The mild sliding wear of Fe–0.2%C, Ti–6%Al–4%V and Al-7072 was investigated by means of pin-on-disc sliding tests. The applied pressure was 1 MPa and the sliding velocity was varied between 0.2 and 1 m/s. The sliding behaviour was followed by continuous measurements of the friction coefficient, pin wear and pin temperature. For the Fe alloy, wear was mixed (delamination and oxidation), and friction and wear coefficients were found to decrease with sliding velocity. The Al and Ti alloys displayed a different behaviour, characterised by the occurrence of sliding distance transitions at 0.8 and 1 m/s for the Al alloy, and at 0.4 up to 1 m/s for the Ti alloy. Before the transition, the wear coefficient of the Al alloy was very low, because of the presence of a compacted tribolayer on the sliding surface. After the transition wear was by delamination: the wear rate increased but the friction coefficient decreased. For the Ti alloy, wear occurred by oxidation and was quite high before the transition. After the transition, both the wear rate and the friction coefficient decreased, although the wear process became unstable with repeated oscillations in the friction coefficient. The results allowed us to highlight the role of flash temperature in determining the wear mechanisms of the alloys under study and the necessity of properly considering the sliding distance transitions to make reliable comparisons and obtain guidelines for safe operations.     

Finite‐element heat‐transfer analysis of a PEEK‐steel sliding pair in a pin‐on‐disc configuration

Finite‐element (FE) thermal models have been developed in order to study the temperature distribution in a sliding pair comprising a poly(ether ether ketone) (PEEK) pin and a steel disc in a pin‐on‐disc configuration. First, a moving heat source model for the disc was created. An alternative distributed heat source model was also produced in order to reduce computing time for the evaluation of the moving heat source model by some orders of magnitude. This latter model gave the same results as the moving heat source model, except for a small region just below the moving heat source. On the basis of the distributed heat source approach, a complete axisymmetric FE model for the disc side (taking the effect of thermal resistance between the assembled components into consideration) and a steady‐state quarter model for the pin were developed. Water cooling and air cooling of the steel shaft were also compared. It was found that air cooling allowed a higher temperature in the contact region of the two sliding partners. The experimental results obtained with thermocouples and a thermal camera showed good agreement with the model predictions.     

Characteristics of the Worn Surface of Magnetized Sliding Contact Medium Carbon Steel/Medium Carbon Steel

The characteristics of the worn surface of a pin were studied in the presence of a DC magnetic field. The experiments were conducted on a pin-on-disk tribometer in the ambient atmosphere. The medium carbon steel/medium carbon steel sliding couple was adopted. Compared to the pin formed in the absence of a magnetic field, oxidation becomes visible on the worn surface of the pin during the process of friction with the action of magnetic field. Fe₂O₃ was detected from the worn surface of a pin in the stable wear stage. The oxidation area of the worn surface of the pin gradually extends with increasing friction time. The wear of the pin decreases with extending of the oxidation area on the worn surface of the pin. The results reveal that the oxide layer formed on a pin worn surface is one of the key antiwear factors in the presence of a magnetic field.     

Influence of Sliding Speed on the Tribological Characteristics of Si3N4-hBN Ceramic Materials

The influence of sliding speed on the unlubricated tribological behaviors of silicon nitride–boron nitride (Si₃N₄-hBN) composites was investigated with two modes in air by a pin-on-disc tribometer. Using the upper disc–on–bottom pin test mode, as the sliding speed increased, the friction coefficient of the sliding pairs showed an upward trend; for example, from 0.18 at the sliding speed of 0.40 m/s to 0.54 at the sliding speed of 1.31 m/s for the Si₃N₄/Si₃N₄–20% hBN pair. The surface analysis indicated that a tribochemical film consisting of SiO₂ and H₃BO₃ formed on the wear surfaces of the Si3N4/Si3N4–20% hBN sliding pair at sliding speeds of 0.40 and 0.66 m/s. Moreover, the formation of this film lubricated the wear surfaces. At the sliding speed of 1.31 m/s, no tribochemical film formed on the wear surfaces, most likely due to the increase in surface temperature. In the upper pin–on–bottom disc test mode, the wear mechanism was dominated by abrasive wear, and no tribochemical products could be detected on the wear surfaces. The increase in sliding speed weakened the degree of abrasive wear, leading to a decrease in the friction coefficients.     

Influence of Phosphorus on the Load Carrying Capacity under Boundary Lubrication Conditions of Copper-6 Tin

Addition of 0.02% phosphorus to a Cu-6Sn alloy reduces the desorption temperature for paraffin oil, containing 0.2% fatty acid, by more than 60 C. This means that, in the pin and ring geometry, the load carrying capacity in the boundary lubrication regime is lowered by a factor of 2 or more. Desorption is controlled by the over-all surface temperature of the bronze, rather than by the local hot-spot temperature. The desorption temperature is not influenced by viscosity and sliding speed. At conditions below critical, wear is probably of the abrasive type and the wear rate is independent of speed.     

Author index

The friction and wear properties of a cured epoxy resin pin sliding against a steel disc were examined. It was found that the initial (single traversal) coefficient of friction is relatively low (about 0.25) and temperature dependent, while the steady state friction coefficient is relatively high (about 0.8) and temperature independent. It has been determined that the steady state value reflects the friction of iron oxide sliding on itself rather than the epoxy-steel friction. Optical microscopy observations and preliminary electron spectroscopy for chemical analysis experiments suggest that, as in the case of metallic friction, the wear particles form by oxidation of the steel fragments transferred by adhesion to the epoxy surface rather than by direct oxidation of the steel counterpart.     

The mechanism of formation of wear particles of polytetrafluoroethylene

To obtain information about the basic processes involved in the formation of wear particles of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), the rubbing surface of a PTFE pin was observed through a glass disk.In the initial stages of rubbing, small PTFE fragments transferred to the glass disk from the PTFE pin but did not necessarily adhere strongly to the glass disk. Some wear fragments were observed moving against the PTFE pin at a speed lower than the sliding speed of the glass disk. The fragments at higher travelling speeds combined with the fragments at lower travelling speeds and increased in size. The fragments also increased in size by scratching the surface of the PTFE pin.In steady state rubbing, large and small fragments were observed and the enlarged fragments were successively detached from the glass disk. The variation in the volume and the travelling speed of the fragments with rubbing was also examined. The total increase in the volume of transferred fragments in a definite sliding distance was found to be similar to the volume of removed fragments.     

Wear laws for polytetrafluoroethylene

Experiments were made to determine the effect of sliding speed, contact pressure and rubbing surface temperature on the wear of a polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) pin rubbed against a chromium-plated brass disk. An automatic temperature control type wear apparatus to control the rubbing surface temperature was constructed and used to minimize the influence of frictional heat. The linear wear rate is proportional to contact pressure to the nth power (n > 1). Wear curves of PTFE with a characteristic variation of the linear wear rate with sliding speed were obtained. Increase of contact pressure shifts the curves towards a higher wear rate. When the temperature was increased the curves were shifted towards a higher speed and higher wear rate. A master curve obtained by translation of each wear curve vertically or horizontally to fit the reference curve can be used to determine the wear rate.     

The distribution of friction heat between a stationary pin and a rotating cylinder

The knowledge of the distribution of friction heat between two bodies in sliding contact is necessary for the calculation of the elevated temperatures at the contact area. An analytical model has been devised for the calculation of the coefficient for the friction heat distribution between a rotating cylinder and a stationary pin. This model covers a wide field of practical applications. The results of this analysis are in very good agreement with the experimental results existing in the bibliography. Graphs are included to facilitate the numerical calculations. The proposed model takes into consideration the specific geometric configurations and the surface heat transfer conditions of the bodies coming in sliding contact.     

Experimental Study on Corrugation of a Sliding Surface Caused by Frictional Self-Excited Vibration

A series of tests is conducted on a pin-on-disc tester to study the effect of frictional self-excited vibration on evolution of the scar profiles. A laser displacement sensor is used to measure the profile size of the worn scars. An accelerometer is used to measure vibration of the pin specimen. The test results show that a sustained frictional self-excited vibration easily occurs under dry friction. When the vibration lasts for a long enough time, corrugation is generated on the sliding surface of the disc specimen. The wavelength of corrugation is approximately equal to the sliding speed multiplied by the period time of the friction-induced vibration.     

Tribological Behaviors of Hybrid PTFE/Nomex Fabric/Phenolic Composite under Dry and Water-Bathed Sliding Conditions

The tribological behaviors of hybrid polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE)/Nomex fabric/phenolic composite under dry sliding condition and water-bathed sliding conditions were investigated using a pin-on-disk type tribometer. The results showed that this hybrid fabric reinforced composite exhibited a higher wear rate and a lower friction coefficient under water-bathed sliding conditions compared to that measured under dry sliding condition. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray photoelectron microscopy (XPS) analysis demonstrated that under water-bathed sliding conditions the transfer films formed on the counterpart pins surface were of high roughness and less PTFE transferred onto the pin surface, compared to that under dry sliding condition. Moreover, the hybrid fabric composite displayed varied tribological behaviors when distilled water-bathed sliding condition and seawater-bathed sliding condition were applied separately.     

Shear-Induced Surface-to-Bulk Transport at Room Temperature in a Sliding Metal–Metal Interface

Predictions from molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, that sliding at a metal–metal interface causes vortices in the near-surface region that transport atoms from the surface into the subsurface region, is tested experimentally. This is accomplished by rubbing a methyl thiolate overlayer grown on a clean copper foil by exposure to dimethyl disulfide at room temperature. Repeatedly rubbing a 1.27 × 10⁻² m diameter pin over a thiolate-covered copper surface at an applied load of 0.44 N and sliding speed of 4 × 10⁻³ m/s in an ultrahigh vacuum tribometer, results in the removal of sulfur from the wear track as measured using spatially resolved Auger spectroscopy. Any remaining surface species, in particular, outside the wear track, are removed by argon ion bombardment. Since sulfur is more thermodynamically stable at the surface, heating the sample causes the sulfur to resegregate to the surface only inside the wear track, thereby directly confirming the predictions from MD simulations.     

载流条件下铬青铜/纯铜摩擦副摩擦磨损性能研究

在自制的销盘摩擦磨损试验机上,对铬青铜/纯铜摩擦副进行载流条件下的干滑动模拟试验,研究了电流、速度、载荷对铬青铜/纯铜摩擦磨损性能的影响规律。试验结果表明:电流是影响摩擦副摩擦磨损性能最显著的因素,摩擦因数和磨损率都随着电流的增大而增大;速度和载荷对摩擦因数和磨损率也有显著影响;电流的存在,摩擦副间产生了比无电流时更严重的粘着磨损和塑性变形,同时增加了电化学腐蚀,使磨损更加严重。     

High-Temperature Friction and Wear Studies of Nimonic 80A and Nimonic 90 Against Nimonic 75 Under Dry Sliding Conditions

The present research focuses on dry sliding friction and wear behaviour of Nimonic 80A and Nimonic 90 against Nimonic 75 at high temperature up to 1023 K. The influence of temperature, sliding distance and normal load on friction and wear behaviour of Nimonic 80A and Nimonic 90 against Nimonic 75 was studied using pin (Nimonic 75)-on-disc (Nimonic 80A and Nimonic 90). Lower wear and lower friction of superalloys was observed at high temperatures, as compared to room temperature. Surface morphological and surface analytical studies of fresh and worn surfaces were carried out using optical microscopy, 3D profilometer, scanning electron microscope, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy to understand the friction and wear behaviour. The mechanism of the formation of microscale glaze layer is also discussed.