Tribological properties of flame sprayed Fe–Ni–RE alloy coatings under reciprocating sliding

Fe–Ni–RE self-fluxing alloy powders were flame sprayed onto 1045 carbon steel. The tribological properties of Fe–Ni–RE alloy coatings under dry sliding against SAE52100 steel at ambient conditions were studied on an Optimol SRV oscillating friction and wear tester in a ball-on-disc contact configuration. Effects of load and sliding speed on tribological properties of the Fe–Ni–RE coatings were investigated. The worn surfaces of the Fe–Ni–RE alloy coatings were examined with a scanning electron microscopy(SEM) and an energy-dispersive spectroscopy(EDS). It was found that the Fe–Ni–RE alloy coatings had better wear resistance than the SAE52100 steel. An adhered oxide debris layer was formed on the worn surface in friction. Area of the friction layer varied with variety of sliding speed, but did not vary with load. The oxide layer contributed to decreased wear, but increased friction. Wear rate of the material increased with the load, but dramatically decreased at first and then slightly decreased the sliding speed. The friction coefficient of the material was 0.40-0.58, and decreased slightly with the load, but increased with sliding speed at first, and then tended to be a constant value. Wear mechanism of the coatings was oxidation wear and a large amount of counterpart material was transferred to the coatings.     

Performance of worn non-recessed hole-entry hybrid journal bearings

Non-recessed journal bearings have been successfully used in various engineering applications because of their good performance over a wide range of speed and load, besides their relative simplicity in manufacturing. Due to many starts and stops in its lifespan, the bearing bush wears progressively on account of rubbing, which affects bearing performance. The present work is an attempt to analytically study the performance of a worn non-recessed (hole-entry) capillary-compensated hybrid journal-bearing system. FEM has been used to solve the Reynolds equation, governing the flow of lubricant in the bearing clearance space along with the restrictor flow equation using suitable iterative technique. A study is conducted for two configurations, i.e., symmetrical and asymmetrical hole-entry journal-bearing system. The simulated results of bearing characteristics parameters in terms of maximum fluid-film pressure, minimum fluid-film thickness, flow rate, frictional torque, rotor dynamic coefficients, stability threshold speed and whirl frequency ratio, etc. have been presented for the wide range of various values of load and speed. The results indicate that the wear affects the bearing performance considerably; therefore, a due consideration of wear defect should be given for an accurate prediction of the bearing performance over a number of cycles. The computed results further indicate that the influence of wear defect on journal bearing performance may be minimized if a designer selects a suitable bearing configuration.     

A study of friction in worn misaligned journal bearings under severe hydrodynamic lubrication

Friction occurs in all mechanical systems such as transmissions, valves, piston rings, bearings, machines, etc. It is well known that in journal bearings, friction occurs in all lubrication regimes. However, shaft misalignment in rotating systems is one of the most common causes of wear. In this work, the bearing is assumed to operate in the hydrodynamic region, at high eccentricities, wear depths, and angular misalignment. As a result, the minimum film thickness is 5–10 times the surface finish, i.e., near the lower limit of the hydrodynamic lubrication when taking into account that in the latest technology CNC machines the bearing surface finish could be less than 1–2 μm.An analytical model is developed in order to find the relationship among the friction force, the misalignment angles, and wear depth. The Reynolds equation is solved numerically; the friction force is calculated in the equilibrium position. The friction coefficient is presented versus the misalignment angles and wear depths for different Sommerfeld numbers, thus creating friction functions dependent on misalignment and wear of the bearing. The variation in power loss of the rotor bearing system is also investigated and presented as a function of wear depth and misalignment angles.     

Experimental investigation of porous bearings under different lubricant and lubricating conditions

The performance of porous bearing under different lubricants and lubricating conditions was experimentally investigated in this study. In order to carry out the experiments, a new test rig was designed to determine the tribological properties of based sintered bronze journal bearings that were manufactured by powder metallurgy (P/M) techniques. To determine the effects of lubricating conditions with and without oil supplement (OS) on the tribological characteristics of these bearings under static loading and periodic loadings, some experiments were carried out using different lubricants. In the tests, pure base oil (SAE 20W50), two fully formulated commercial engine oils (SAE20W50) and lubricating oils with commercial additive concentration ratio of3% were used. The worn surfaces of test bearings were examined using optical microscopy. Experimental results showed that the change in friction coefficient was more stable and in smaller magnitude under static loading than that of periodic loading. In addition, the friction coefficient and the wear rate conducted with base oil resulted in higher values than those of fully formulated oils with and without OS lubricating conditions. The experimental results obtained in this study indicated that the correct selection of lubricant and suitable running conditions were very important on the tribological characteristics of porous bearings.     

Wear of spray deposited Al–6Cu–Mn alloy under dry sliding conditions

The dry sliding wear of spray deposited Al–6Cu–Mn alloy was studied as a function of applied load in the range of 5–400 N. The variation of wear rate with applied load was obtained, from which four regions can be observed. On the basis of observations and analyses on the worn surface, the worn subsurface, the wear debris and friction coefficient, wear mechanism in different regions has been identified. Two wear regimes, i.e. mild and severe wear, were displayed in the entire applied load range. The transition from mild to severe wear occurred at a critical load. Mild wear involves three regions in the wear rate vs. load variation, and the wear in each region was controlled by different wear mechanism. With increasing load, the dominant wear mechanism in the period of mild wear displays successively oxidative wear, delamination and subsurface-cracking assisted adhesive wear. Severe wear was operated by the adhesive wear mechanism and the wear debris was formed by the shear fracture of subsurface material of the pin. The transition from mild to severe wear depended on the strength of the material of the pin adjacent to the contact surface and the strain-induced shear stress created by applied load.     

Review of engineered tribological interfaces for improved boundary lubrication

Recent advances in smart surface engineering and coating technologies offer unique possibilities for better controlling friction and wear under boundary or marginally lubricated rolling, sliding or rotating contact conditions. Specifically, such coatings can be tailored to meet the increasingly multi-functional application needs of future engine systems by enabling them to operate in lower viscosity oils with reduced sulfur and phosphorous. Using these technologies, researchers have already pioneered the development of a variety of nano-composite and super-hard coatings providing longer tool life in demanding machining and manufacturing applications. The same technologies can also be used in the design and development of novel coating architectures providing lower friction and wear under boundary-lubricated sliding conditions. For example, such coatings can be tailored in a very special way that while one of the phases can favorably react with certain additives in engine oils to result in an ideal chemical boundary film; the other phases can provide super-hardness and hence resists wear and scuffing. Because of their very dense microstructure and high chemical inertness, these coatings can also provide superior protection against oxidation and corrosive attacks in aggressive environments. The use of solid lubricant coatings may also improve the tribological properties of sliding contact interfaces under boundary lubricated sliding conditions. When fluid and boundary films fails or is broken down, such coatings can carry the load and act as a back-up lubricant. Other smart surface technologies such as laser texturing and/or dimpling, laser-glazing and -shotpeening have also become very popular in recent years. In particular, laser texturing of control or coated surfaces have opened up new possibilities for further manipulation of the lubrication regimes in classical Stribeck diagrams. Controlling dimple size, shape, orientation, and density, researchers were able to modify both the width and the height of the boundary lubrication regimes and thus achieve lower friction and wear at sliding and rotating contact interfaces. Overall, smart surface engineering and coating technologies have matured over the years and they now become an integral part of advanced machining and manufacturing applications. They can also be used to meet the increasingly stringent and multi-functional application needs of demanding tribological applications. In this paper, selected examples of recently developed novel surface engineering and coating technologies are introduced, and the fundamental tribological mechanisms that control their friction and wear behavior under boundary lubrication regimes are presented.     

Sliding tribological behavior of AlCrN coating

The sliding tribological behavior of the PVD AlCrN coating against Si₃N₄ ball have been investigated by using the CETR multi-functional UMT-2 test system under two sliding conditions (bidirectional and unidirectional). Reciprocating sliding tests (bidirectional) were performed under varied normal loads (5, 10 and 20 N) at sliding velocity of 0.48 m/min. Ball-on-disc tests (unidirectional) were performed at varied sliding velocities (0.48 and 5 m/min) under normal load of 5 N. The wear scars of the coating were evaluated by surface profilometer, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDX), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and the sliding wear mechanism of the coating was consequently discussed. The results showed that AlCrN coating had excellent anti-abrasion properties. Both the normal load in reciprocating sliding test and the sliding velocity in ball-on-disc test had significant influence on the sliding tribological behavior of the AlCrN coating. The combination of abrasion and oxidation was the main sliding wear mechanism for the AlCrN coating. The wear resistant and thermally stable oxides formed by the tribo-chemical reactions of chromium and aluminum protected the AlCrN coating against wear admirably.     

Influence of ball burnishing on surface quality and tribological characteristics of polymers under dry sliding conditions

In this paper, the application of ball burnishing as a new surface treatment process for polymers is investigated. The polymers used were polyoxymethylene (POM) and polyurethane (PUR). The lowest surface roughness value achieved for POM was 0.44 μm (45% decrease) and for PUR was 0.46 μm (42% decrease). The lowest coefficient of friction value achieved was 0.22 (32.9% decrease) for POM and 0.24 (28.8% decrease) for PUR. The lowest specific wear rate value achieved was 0.31×10⁻⁶ mm³/N m (38.6% decrease) for POM and 0.41×10⁻⁶ mm³/N m (37.9% decrease) for PUR.     

Wear characterization of electrodeposited Ni–WC composite coatings

The present contribution reports the tribological properties of Ni–WC composite coatings, electrodeposited on steel substrate. Commercial WC particles with an average size of 5 μm were codeposited with Ni on a mild steel substrate using a Watts bath at 50°C. The effect of plating variables on deposition behavior was studied. The amount of WC in the deposited layer decreased and plating efficiency increased with an increase in current density from 0.1 to 0.3 A/cm². The tribological properties of the coatings were studied using a small amplitude reciprocating friction wear tester. The addition of WC in Ni increases the microhardness of the electrodeposited coatings. An important result is that the presence of embedded WC particles in the electrodeposited coatings results in a much lower coefficient of friction (COF) of 0.34, when compared with pure Ni (COF 0.62) and mild steel (COF 0.54).     

The influence of humidity on the fretting behaviour of PVD TiN coatings

The influence of the relative humidity (RH) in ambient air on the friction and wear behaviour of PVD TiN coatings subjected to contact vibrations against corundum and bearing steel (100Cr6) counterbodies has been investigated. The fretting experiments were performed in the gross-slip regime on TiN coatings produced by three different PVD processes. The results indicate two basic friction characteristics. At low relative humidity (RH < 10%), the friction force is in the range of the normal force whereas it is less than one third of the normal force in atmospheres of high relative humidity (RH > 80%). A transition from high to low friction was observed during the course of experiments performed in atmospheres of medium relative humidity. The duration of the high friction phase in such transitions was found to depend on fretting parameters such as the normal force and the vibration frequency. This humidity dependence of the friction force was found for both counterbody materials. The size of the damaged surface area as well as the volumetric wear on the TiN coatings were found to be largest at low relative humidity. Fretting damage occurs over a smaller area but extends more into the depth at high relative humidity. The size of the fretted surface area induced on TiN is larger for Cr-steel than for corundum counterbodies.     

Frictional behaviour of oxygen diffusion hardened titanium in dry sliding against Co–28Cr–5W–4Fe–3Ni–1Si cobalt alloy

The results of conformal pin-on-disc tribological tests of a hard layer of the solid solution of oxygen in α-titanium sliding against a Co–28Cr–5W–4Fe–3Ni–1Si cobalt alloy counterspecimen are presented. The α-Ti(O) layer was diffusely produced over 2–8 h of oxidising in the superficial zone of a technical quality titanium specimen.The friction and wear responses of the system were recorded and the wear mechanisms were studied. Investigations of the material structure and chemical constitution in micro-areas of the titanium specimen, cobalt alloy counterspecimen and wear debris formed in dry sliding were performed with a Philips XL20 microscope equipped with an EDAX analyser. Crushing of the α-Ti(O) layer, lowering of the wear rate after comminution of the hard α-Ti(O) layer, local tack spots and fine powder wear particles, mostly Ti oxides, were detected at the beginning of each test. Gradual brittle fracture and decay by pulverising of the α-Ti(O) particles embedded in both mating surfaces, which occurred during the test, led to the increase of the wear rate of the couple and domination of microcutting and tack spots spalling after their partial oxidation. Finally, after the disappearance of the α-Ti(O) loose particles, adhesive junctions, metal transfer and smearing become leading wear mechanisms.     

Investigation of the tribological properties of silicon containing zinc–aluminum based journal bearings

In this study, frictional behavior of thin-walled journal bearings produced from Zn–Al–Cu–Si alloys was investigated using a purpose-built journal bearing test rig. The alloys were produced by permanent mould casting. Mechanical properties such as ultimate tensile strength, elongation, hardness and microstructure of these alloys were determined. The friction properties of the bearings produced from these alloys were also investigated. In this investigation, the effects of surface roughness and bearing pressure on the frictional properties of the journal bearings were taken into account. The results showed that friction factor decreased with increasing bearing pressure especially in the mixed and full-film lubrication zones. It was found that high surface roughness led to high friction factor. The ZnAl27Cu2Si1 and ZnAl40Cu2Si1 bearings showed full Stribeck curve tendency while ZnAl27Cu2Si2 bearing did not exhibit the typical diagram having no full-film lubrication zone at the pressure of 0.7 and 1.1 MPa.     

Measurements of tribological properties of poly(pyrrole) thin film bearings

We report the results of a recent study on the tribological properties of electropolymerised thin films at light loads and low speeds. Poly(pyrrole) films incorporating different counter-ions have been electrochemically deposited onto gold electrodes on the plano-convex glass substrates and studied extensively. The measuring apparatus has been greatly improved from that reported earlier and now provides simultaneous monitoring of frictional force and wear. High precision capacitive gauging is employed to provide high resolutions of frictional force of better than 100 μN and height variation (wear) of 2 nm. A large number of specimens of poly(pyrrole) grown from five different counter-ions were prepared and their performances evaluated. The film morphology of each type of film was examined by atomic force microscopy (AFM) for control of the variability of film formation. Results are presented for the friction coefficients and wear rates observed for the films typically at a load of 2 N and a sliding speed of 5 mm s⁻¹. The effects of normal loading force and sliding speed on the friction coefficient are also discussed with a load range of 0.2–5 N and a sliding speed up to 30 mm s⁻¹.     

Wear behavior of Pb–Mo–S solid lubricating coatings

Amorphous Pb–Mo–S coatings 200 to 510 nm thick were deposited by dual ion-beam deposition (IBD) onto steel and Si substrates. Coating wear studies were performed using ball-on-flat reciprocating sliding with steel ball counterfaces in dry air. Tests were run between 1 and 100,000 sliding cycles, and wear depths measured by interference microscopy. Morphology and chemistry of the as-deposited coatings and worn surfaces were investigated with optical microscopy, micro-Raman spectroscopy and cross-section high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). Pb–Mo–S coatings were found to be quite wear resistant; no more than 25% of the coating thickness was removed by 10,000 sliding cycles. Two wear mechanisms were identified. At the nanometer scale, wear proceeded in a two-part process: transformation of the coating surface to MoS₂, then layer-by-layer removal of MoS₂. At the micrometer scale, wear occurred by plowing. The long endurance of Pb–Mo–S coatings was attributed to slow wear of the coatings, with lubricant redistribution processes playing a minor role.     

Influence of counter surface topography on the tribological behavior of carbon-filled PPS composites in water

This study is aimed at investigating the influence of counter surfaces׳ topography on tribological behavior of several carbon-filled polyphenylene sulfide (PPS) composites in water lubricated contacts. The results of this study showed significant increase in wear rate of pure, graphite and/or multi-walled carbon nanotubes filled PPS composites with increase in mean slope of profile along the sliding direction (Δα_y). This is while SCF filled PPS composites exhibited 1–3 orders of magnitude lower wear rate with little dependence on counter surface roughness characteristics. Among the roughness parameters studied, R_pk and lay orientation played a more significant role in friction, and R_pk and Δα_y were found to correlate best with the wear rate of the composites not containing SCF in their matrices.     

Experimental analysis of tribological behavior of UHMWPE against AISI420C and against TiAl6V4 alloy under dry and lubricated conditions

Friction and wear behavior of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) sliding against AISI420C austenitic stainless steel and against TiAl6V4 alloy under dry and lubricated conditions were investigated with a reciprocating pin-on-flat tribometer for comparative purposes. The tests were conducted by varying frequency of the pin alternative motion and the applied normal load. For the tests in lubricated conditions a fluid containing a large amount of sodium hyaluronate has been chosen. By using an electronic precision balance the wear mass loss of the UHMWPE samples was evaluated accordingly. Friction is greatly reduced by the presence of UHMWPE and this is believed to be due to the formation of a lubricating film of UHMWPE in the contact zone. Furthermore, the experimental investigation shows that the AISI420C/UHMWPE gives, in dry conditions, better values in the wear rate and in the friction coefficient than the TiAl6V4/UHMWPE.     

An examination of friction and sliding wear properties of Zn–40Al–2Cu–2Si alloy in case of oil cut off

In this work, four ingots of Zn–40Al–2Cu–2Si alloy were produced by permanent mould casting. Two of the ingots were subjected to quench-ageing treatment. After examining the microstructure and some mechanical properties of the alloy in both as-cast and heat treated conditions, its friction and wear behaviour were investigated over a range of pressure and sliding speed using a conforming block-on-ring type machine without oil supply which corresponds to “oil cut off”.It was observed that the heat treatment increased the hardness and tensile strength of the alloy. It was also observed that in the case of oil cut off the friction coefficient of the alloy decreased with increasing pressure up to approximately 3 MPa above which the trend reversed. However, the friction coefficient increased with increasing sliding speed after showing a small decrease with it, and the temperature of the wear sample increased with both pressure and sliding speed. It was shown that the wear loss of the alloy increased exponentially with pressure, but linearly with sliding speed. However, the increase in wear loss with sliding speed became exponential at pressures above 4 MPa.As a result of this work, it was concluded that the quench-ageing treatment does not increase only the hardness and tensile strength of Zn–40Al–2Cu–2Si alloy but also its wear resistance during running without oil supply.     

Wear and friction behavior of alloyed gray cast iron with solid lubricants under boundary lubrication

Friction and wear behavior of MoS₂, boric acid, graphite and TiO₂ has been compared under extreme boundary lubrication condition. Boundary lubrication was simulated for the study. Results show that MoS₂ and graphite were 30-50% more effective than other two lubricants. Friction coefficient shows a decreasing trend with increase in sliding speed due to increasing temperature and higher shear force. High friction coefficient values were recorded for all the lubricants (0.2-0.5). This is due to predominating solid interactions during boundary lubrication condition. Boric acid and TiO₂ were not much effective in lubrication.     

Patterned PVD TiN spot coatings on M2 steel: Tribological behaviors under different sliding speeds

Experiments were performed to investigate systematically the influence of sliding speeds on tribological behaviours of in-lined (IN), staggered (ST) spot-islandic and fully coated (FC) physical vapour deposition (PVD) TiN coatings on M2 steel discs sliding with ASSAB 17 tool steel pins. Results revealed that: (i) the friction coefficients of the individual mating couples generally decreased with the sliding speed and the order in increasing magnitude at each specific sliding speed was FC, IN, and ST pair, respectively and (ii) the wear loss was inversely related to the sliding speed, and the wear loss of both the pin and disc of FC mating pair was the largest with ST the second and IN the third. Relevant mechanisms for the friction and the wear loss are proposed and discussed in this paper.     

The role of transfer film and back transfer behavior on the tribological performance of polyoxymethylene in sliding

The role of transfer films formed during the sliding of polymer composites against steel counterfaces was studied in terms of the tribological behaviors of the composites. The composites were prepared by compression molding and sliding tests were run in pin-on-disk sliding configuration. The counterface was made of tool steel hardened to 55–60 HRC and finished to a surface roughness of 0.09–0.10 μm Ra. Wear tests were run for 6 hrs at the sliding speed of 1.0 m/s and contact pressure of 0.65 MPa. Transfer films formed on the counterfaces during sliding were investigated using Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). The results showed that as the transfer film became smooth and uniform, the wear rate decreased. The examination of worn surfaces using Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS: dot mapping mode) showed the back-transfer of the steel counterface material to the polymer pin surface. This behavior is believed to strengthen the polymer pin surface during sliding thereby contributing to the decrease in wear rate. This paper was recommended for publication in revised form by Associate Editor Jae Cheon Lee Minhaeng Cho received his B.S. and M.S. degrees in Mechanical Engineering from Chung-Ang University, Seoul in 1993 and 1995, respectively. He received his M.S. degree in Materials Science and Engineering from Oregon State University in 2000, and his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Iowa State University in 2004. Dr. Cho is currently an Assistant Professor at the School of Mechanical Engineering at Chung-Ang University in Seoul, Korea. His research interests are in the area of tribology, surface phenomena, and functional surfaces such as laser surface texturing and ultra-thin coatings.