Tribological behaviour of steel‐alumina sliding pairs under boundary lubrication conditions

The tribological behaviour of oil‐lubricated steel‐alumina sliding pairs was investigated using a ball‐on‐disc tribometer at room temperature. Commercial bearing balls of 10 mm diameter were mated to 99.7% Al₂O₃ discs, and additive‐free mineral oil was fed into the contact area. The sliding speed and the applied normal load were varied, and the initial surface roughness of the Al₂O₃ disc was altered using different polishing and grinding procedures. The results showed that the surface roughness of the ceramic discs dominated the tribological behaviour under the given experimental conditions. The sliding speed as well as the normal load showed less effect on the friction behaviour, but the amount of wear depended strongly on the normal load. From the results it was concluded that improvement of the surface roughness and optimised surface machining of the ceramic material can be essential for improving the tribological performance for boundary‐lubricated steel‐ceramic sliding pairs.     

Effects of Normal Load,Sliding Speed,and Surface Roughness on Tribological Properties of Niobium under Dry and Wet Conditions

The effects of normal load, sliding speed, and surface roughness on the friction and wear of high-purity niobium (Nb) during sliding without and with an introduction of water were systematically investigated. Increasing the normal load or sliding speed decreased the friction of the Nb under the both dry and wet conditions because the increased wear of the Nb decreased the interfacial shear strength between the steel ball and Nb by promoting the surface roughening and the production of wear debris. However, the Nb tested at the lowest sliding speed under the lowest normal load with water exhibited the lowest friction and wear due to the formation of oxide layer on the wear track. The friction and wear of the Nb tested under the dry condition decreased with increased surface roughness because the higher interfacial shear strength between the steel ball and smoother Nb resulted in the earlier breakdown of the native oxide layer and direct contact between the steel ball and Nb. However, increasing the surface roughness of the Nb increased its friction and wear under wet conditions, probably due to the easier breakdown of the oxide layer that formed on the rougher surface during sliding. The tribological results clearly showed that the introduction of water during sliding had a significant influence on the tribological properties of the Nb.     

Evolution of wear,roughness, and friction of Alloy 600 superalloy surfaces in water-submersed sliding

Self-mated wear and friction of Alloy 600 superalloy was studied in a water-submersed ring-on-rod configuration, loading the side of a 6.35 mm diameter rod across the flat surface of a rotating annular ring of 100 mm outer diameter and 70 mm inner diameter producing two sliding contacts along the ring. Tests were conducted at sliding speeds of 0.178 and 0.330 m/s for sliding distances of 100 m. Normal loads of 51 and 204 N were applied, and initial R_a surface roughnesses of the rings along the sliding direction were either smooth (～0.2 μm) or rough (～7.5 μm). Increased initial ring roughness caused a ～20-fold increase in rod wear at the lighter load, whereas at the heavier load increased initial roughness only caused a ～4-fold increase in wear. At lower initial ring roughness the 4-fold decrease in normal load caused a large (one order-of-magnitude) decrease in rod wear, whereas for rings of higher initial roughness the 4-fold decrease in normal load caused only minor (2-fold or less) decreases in rod wear. Wear during this 100 m sliding distance only experienced a minor effect from the 1.8-fold change in sliding speed, as did friction. In all cases friction coefficient rapidly settled into the range 0.6–0.7, except in the cases of lower load on rings of lower initial roughness where friction coefficient remained above 1 for most of this sliding duration. At this lower load the initial ～0.2 μm rod roughnesses increased to nearly 0.8 μm by the 100 m sliding distance, whereas at the higher load this same sliding distance resulted in roughnesses returning near to the initial 0.2 μm. It was hypothesized more highly loaded cases also went through initial roughening prior to smoothening back to 0.2 μm roughness within the 100 m sliding distance, and given additional sliding the more lightly loaded cases would also experience subsequent smoothening. Increasing sliding distance to 400 m, roughnesses indicated a smoothening back to 0.2 μm level during those lightly loaded tests, with friction coefficient correspondingly dropping from 1 into the 0.6–0.7 range observed in all other cases. Extended sliding to 400 m at light loading against rings of lower initial roughness also allowed a rod wear rate which increased with increased sliding distance to be observed, approaching the same rate observed against initially rough rings within the 100 m sliding distance.     

Dry Sliding Friction and Wear Characteristics of Cu-Sn Alloy Containing Molybdenum Disulfide

The wear and sliding friction response of a hybrid copper metal matrix composite reinforced with 10 wt% of tin (Sn) and soft solid lubricant (1, 5, and 7 wt% of MoS₂) fabricated by a powder metallurgy route was investigated. The influence of the percentages of reinforcement, load, sliding speed, and sliding distance on both the wear and friction coefficient were studied. The wear test with an experimental plan of six loads (5–30 N) and five sliding speeds (0.5–2.5 m/s) was conducted on a pin-on-disc machine to record loss in mass due to wear for two total sliding distances of 1,000 and 2,000 m. The results showed that the specific wear rate of the composites increased at room temperature with sliding distance and decreased with load. The wear resistance of the hybrid composite containing 7 wt% MoS₂ was superior to that of the other composites. It was also observed that the specific wear rates of the composites decreased with the addition of MoS₂. The 7 wt% MoS₂ composites exhibited a very low coefficient of friction of 0.35. The hardness of the composite increased as the weight percentage of MoS₂ increased. The wear and friction coefficient were mainly influenced by both the percentage of reinforcement and the load applied. Wear morphology was also studied using scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray analysis.     

An Analysis and Comparison of the Tribological Behavior of Two Polymers Sliding Against a Polymeric Composite

Two polymers, ultrahigh-molecular-weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) and polycarbonate, were slid dry against continuous fiber graphite/epoxy composites in multiple-pass friction and wear tests. High and low valves of load, speed, fiber orientation, and virgin surface roughness were used to find their effect on the coefficient of friction and wear rate. Regression equations were developed from the data to help describe the effects of various independent variables. For the total distance slid of 176 m, there was no significant effect of sliding speed on coefficient of friction. The coefficient of friction for UHMWPE was found to depend on surface roughness and fiber orientation. For polycarbonate, the coefficient of friction was very complex, containing a three-factor interaction between normal load, surface roughness, and fiber orientation. The wear rate for UHMWPE was a function of normal load, surface roughness, and a nonlinear term in normal load and surface roughness. The wear rate for polycarbonate was significantly affected by all variables except fiber orientation.     

Tribological properties of Ni3Al-Cr7C3 composite coating under water lubrication

The tribological properties of Ni₃Al-Cr₇C₃ composite coating under water lubrication were examined by using a ball-on-disc reciprocating tribotester. The effects of load and sliding speed on wear rate of the coating were investigated. The worn surface of the coating was analyzed using electron probe microscopy analysis (EPMA) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The results show the friction coefficient of the coating is decreased under water lubrication. The wear rate of the coating linearly increases with the load. At high sliding speed, the wear rate of the coating is dramatically increased and a large amount of the counterpart material is transferred to the coating worn surface. The low friction of the coating under water lubrication is due to the oxidizing of the worn surface in the wear. The wear mechanism of the coating is plastic deformation at low normal load and sliding speed. However, the wear mechanism transforms to microfracture and microploughing at high load with low sliding speed, and oxidation wear at high sliding speed. It is concluded that the contribution of the sliding speed to an increase in the coating wear is larger than that of the normal load.     

Friction and wear behaviour of aluminium alloy coconut shell char particulate composites

The friction and wear characteristics of Al-11.8%Si alloys containing 10–25 vol.% (3–8 wt.%) dispersions of coconut shell char particles (average size, 125 μm) were evaluated under dry conditions with a pin-on-disc machine. At the lower sliding speed of 0.56 m s^?1, the wear rates and friction coefficients of the composites decreased with increasing volume per cent of dispersed char particles in the aluminium alloy matrix. Scanning electron microscopy observations have revealed the presence of adhering shell char fragments on the worn-out surface of the composites and the average roughness R_a for the worn-out surface of the composite (Al-11.8%Si-8%char) was much less (1.9 μm) than for the worn-out surface of the matrix (3.2 μm). At the higher sliding speed of 5.38 m s^?1, the wear rates increased with increasing volume per cent of dispersed char particles in the matrix and the R_a value for the composite (Al-11.8%Si-8%char) was higher (5.2 μm) than for the matrix (4.6 μm). The worn-out surface of the composites did not show the presence of adhering shell char fragments. The reduction in wear rates and friction coefficients of composites at the lower sliding speed of 0.56 m s^?1 with respect to the matrix alloy wear was attributed to the presence of adhered fragmented bits of shell char on the wearing composite surface.     

表面粗糙度对滑动电接触磨损率的影响

在电气化铁路弓网系统中,磨损率是衡量列车运行状态与接触导线使用状态的重要指标。为了充分模拟弓网系统中磨损率情况,利用自行搭建的滑动电接触摩擦磨损试验机对滑板和接触导线进行摩擦磨损试验,分析滑板表面粗糙度、法向压力、接触电流与运行速度对磨损率的影响。得出结论:滑板磨损率随滑板初始表面粗糙度、接触电流、法向压力、运行速度的增加而增加,而高载荷下粗糙度对于磨损率的影响降低;滑板摩擦从磨合期进入稳定摩擦期存在一个临界表面粗糙度,当滑板初始表面粗糙度值等于临界粗糙度值时,其磨损率最低;不同初始表面粗糙度的滑板在跑合期内磨损过程不同,在稳定摩擦期内磨损过程趋于一致,且摩擦试验后滑板表面粗糙度也接近。     

An investigation on worn surfaces of chopped glass fibre reinforced polyester through SEM observations

The wear mechanisms of chopped strand mat (CSM) glass fibre reinforced polyester (CGRP) composite subjected to dry sliding against smooth stainless steel counterface (R_a=0.06 μm) were studied using a pin-on-disc technique. The effects of normal load (30-90 N), sliding velocity (2.8-3.9 m/s) and sliding distance (0.7-3.5 km) on friction and wear behaviour of the CGRP composite in two different CSM orientations (parallel and anti-parallel) were measured. The worn surfaces of the CGRP composite specimens for each specific test condition were examined using scanning electron microscopy (SEM).Sliding in P-orientation exhibited lower friction coefficient at lower load and higher speed compared to AP-orientation. Meanwhile, sliding in AP-orientation exhibited (15%) less friction coefficient at higher load compared to P-orientation. At higher range of all tested parameters, AP-orientation exhibited less mass loss (16%) compared to the P-orientation.Interestingly, SEM observations showed various wear mechanisms that predominated by abrasive nature. Damage of different features in the matrix and CSM glass fibre associated with higher values of load, speed, and sliding distance such as micro- and macro-cracks in the matrix, interface separation, fibre debonding and fracture, and different sizes of fractured fibres were evident.     

Preparation,microstructure and tribological behavior of laser cladding NiAl intermetallic compound coatings

Nickel aluminide (NiAl) intermetallic compound coatings were in situ synthesized from pre-placed mixed powders of Ni and Al by laser cladding. The phase composition and microstructure of the NiAl coatings were studied by means of X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The effects of laser cladding parameters on the microstructure and friction and wear behavior of the NiAl coatings were investigated. It has been found that laser power density had a crucial influence on the microstructure and friction and wear behavior of NiAl coatings. Namely, the NiAl coatings synthesized under a lower power density have more dense and fine microstructure, and lower friction coefficient and wear rate. Besides, the friction and wear behavior of the laser cladding NiAl coatings is highly dependent on applied normal load and sliding speed; and the resulting coatings sliding against Si₃N₄ in a ball-on-disc contact mode is more suitable for tribological application at a moderate normal load of 3–7 N and sliding speed of 0.16–0.21 m/s.     

Effects of Contact Pressure and Sliding Speed on the Unlubricated Friction and Wear Properties of Zn-15Al-3Cu-1Si Alloy

The unlubricated friction and wear properties of Zn-15Al-3Cu-1Si alloy were studied over a range of contact pressure (1–5 MPa) and sliding speed (0.5–2.5 ms^?1) for a sliding distance of 2,500 m using a block-on-disc type test machine. It was observed that as the contact pressure increased, the friction coefficient of the alloy decreased but its working temperature, surface roughness, and wear volume increased. Sliding speed had no significant effect on the friction coefficient of the alloy but increased its working temperature, surface roughness, and wear volume. It was also observed that the formation of a hard and brittle surface layer had a great influence on the wear behavior of the experimental alloy. The hardness and thickness of this layer increased with increasing contact pressure and sliding speed. However, contact pressure was found to be much more effective on the hardness of the surface layer of this alloy. Both adhesion and abrasion were observed to be the dominant wear mechanisms for the alloy under the given sliding conditions. The results obtained from the friction and wear tests are discussed in terms of the test conditions and microstructural changes that take place during sliding.     

Friction and wear behaviour of plasma-sprayed Cr2O3 coatings against steel in a wide range of sliding velocities and normal loads

This study investigates the influence of sliding speed and normal load on the friction and wear of plasma-sprayed Cr₂O₃ coatings, in dry and lubricated sliding against AISI D2 steel. Friction and wear tests were performed in a wide speed range of 0.125–8 m/s under different normal loads using a block-on-ring tribometer. SEM, EDS and XPS were employed to identify the mechanical and chemical changes on the worn surfaces. A tangential impact wear model was proposed to explain the steep rising of wear from the minimum wear to the maximum wear. The results show that the wear of Cr₂O₃ coatings increases with increasing load. Secondly, there exist a minimum-wear sliding speed (0.5 m/s) and a maximum-wear sliding speed (3 m/s) for a Cr₂O₃ coating in dry sliding. With the increase of speed, the wear of a Cr₂O₃ coating decreases in the range 0.125–0.5 m/s, then rises steeply from 0.5 m/s to 3 m/s, followed by a decrease thereafter. The large variation of wear with respect to speed can be explained by stick-slip at low speeds, the tangential impact effect at median speeds and the softening effect of flash temperature at high speeds. Thirdly, the chemical compositions of the transfer film are a-Fe₂O₃ in the speed range 0.25–2 m/s, and FeO at 7 m/s. In addition, the wear mechanisms of a Cr₂O₃ coating in dry sliding versus AISI D2 steel are adhesion at low speeds, brittle fracture at median speeds and a mixture of abrasion and brittle fracture at high speeds. Finally the lubricated wear of Cr₂O₃ coating increases sharply from 1 to 2.8 m/s.     

Effect of Temperature on Tribological Properties and Wear Mechanisms of NiAl Matrix Self-Lubricating Composites Containing Graphene Nanoplatelets

Studies have been carried out to explore the friction and wear behaviors of NiAl matrix self-lubricating composites containing graphene nanoplatelets (NG) against an Si₃N₄ ball from 100 to 600°C with a normal load of 10 N and a constant speed of 0.2 m/s. The results show that NG exhibits excellent tribological performance from 100 to 400°C compared to NiAl-based alloys. A possible explanation for this is that graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) contribute to the formation of a friction layer, which could be beneficial to the low friction coefficient and lower wear rate of NG. As the temperature increases up to 500°C, the beneficial effect of GNPs on the tribological performance of NG becomes invalid due to the oxidation of GNPs, resulting in severe adhesive wear and degradation of the friction layer on the worn surface of NG. GNPs could hold great potential applications as an effective solid lubricant to promote the formation of a friction layer and prevent severe sliding wear below 400°C.     

Further investigation on the tribological behavior of Al2O3–20Ag20CaF2 composite at 650°C

The friction and wear behaviors of the self‐lubricating Al₂O₃–20Ag20CaF₂ disk against an Al₂O₃ pin pair have been investigated over a broad load range from 1 to 30 N and sliding velocities from 0.084 to 1 m/s at 650^°C. Four typical wear modes have been identified and the wear mode map was constructed to illustrate the influence of load and speed on the friction coefficient and wear rate. The results showed the effective self‐lubricating region (II) (continuous lubricating film) is almost independent of sliding speed, and mainly dependent on the load. It is suggested that the plastic deformation and plastic flow during sliding play an important role in the formation of the self‐lubricating film on the sliding surface. Furthermore, the worn surface in the region (II) (continuous lubricating film) was found to be much softer than the original surface and the distribution of Vickers hardness became more uniform due to the presence of the lubricating film on the worn surface. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Friction and wear behaviour of Thordon XL and LgSn80 in sliding against plasma-sprayed Cr2O3 coatings

This paper studies the friction and wear behaviour of two important bearing materials, Thordon XL and LgSn80, in dry and lubricated sliding vs. plasma-sprayed Cr₂O₃ coatings. As a reference, AISI 1043 steel is also studied under the same conditions. SEM, EDS and surface topography were employed to study the wear mechanisms. The results indicate that the Thordon XL/Cr₂O₃ coating pair gives the lowest dry friction coefficient (0.16) under a normal load of 45.3 N (pressure 0.453 MPa) at a velocity of 1 m/s. The dry friction coefficient of Thordon XL/Cr₂O₃ coating increases to 0.38 under a normal load of 88.5 N (pressure 0.885 MPa). The dry friction coefficients of the LgSn80/Cr₂O₃ coating are in the range of 0.31–0.46. Secondly, both dry wear rate under low normal load (45.3 N) and lubricated wear rate under a load of 680 N for Thordon XL are lower than those of LgSn80 in sliding against plasma-sprayed Cr₂O₃ coatings at a speed of 1 m/s. However, under a normal load of 88.5 N the dry wear rate of Thordon XL is much higher than that of LgSn80. Thirdly, a high viscosity lubricant (SAE 140) leads to lower wear for Thordon XL and LgSn80 than a low viscosity lubricant (SAE 30). Finally, the dominating wear mechanism for Thordon XL is shear fracture when against the plasma-sprayed Cr₂O₃ ceramic coating. For LgSn80 against plasma-sprayed Cr₂O₃ ceramic coating, abrasive wear is the governing failure mechanism.     

Tribological Properties of Diamond-Like Carbon Films in Low and High Moist Air

Diamond-like carbon (DLC) film was deposited on Si wafer by a plasma CVD deposition system using benzene. Tribological properties of the DLC film were evaluated using a ball-on-disk tribo-meter in low (RH 1720 %) and high humidity (RH 9095 %) conditions in air. The effect of sliding speed (4.2 mm/s to 25 mm/s) and load (1.06 N to 3.08 N) on friction and wear was investigated. The friction behavior of the DLC film was obviously different in low and high humidity. When tested under low humidity conditions, the friction coefficient decreased significantly with increasing speed, and increased with load. However, under high humidity conditions, the friction coefficient increased with the speed and decreased with increasing load. The wear of the DLC film was little influenced by the sliding speed, normal load and humidity; a level of 10^-8 mm³/Nm could be obtained in all tests. The formation of a uniform transfer layer would be the main factor which controlled the friction coefficient of the DLC films. Unlike the friction, the wear resistance of the DLC film is not so easy to discuss and may be affected mainly by the tribo-chemical reaction in all the test conditions.     

Comparison of various C2Hx for high‐temperature lubrication by in situ pyrolysis

The ability of directed streams of three representative hydrocarbon gases ‐ acetylene C₂H₄, ethylene C₂H₄, and ethane C₂H₆ ‐ to provide extended‐duration lubrication to high‐temperature sliding contacts via surface deposition of pyrolytic carbon has been demonstrated. One order‐ and two order‐of‐magnitude reductions in friction coefficient and wear rate of self‐mated silicon nitride sliding contacts can be realised by this technique. The ability of these gases to provide ‘adequate’ lubrication at high temperature is illustrated through mapping the normal load/temperature/precursor flow rate space over which reduced friction may be maintained. Acetylene was the most effective precursor for pyrolytic carbon deposition, providing adequate lubrication over the broadest range of normal load/temperature/flow rate combinations, while ethane was the least effective. The boundary of the regions of adequate lubrication represents the locus of contact conditions with equal rates of lubricious carbon deposition and removal by wear. The shape of this boundary, as explored in the mapping study, supports a proposed model in which the removal rate is proportional to the product of normal load and sliding speed, while the deposition rate is proportional to the product of precursor flow rate and an Arrhenius temperature dependence.     

Tribological behavior of Al–Si–SiCp composites/automobile brake pad system under dry sliding conditions

Tribological behavior of stir-cast Al–Si/SiC_p composites against automobile brake pad material was studied using Pin-on-Disc tribo-tester. The Al-metal matrix composite (Al-MMC) material was used as disc, whereas the brake pad material forms the pin. It has been found that both wear rate and friction coefficient vary with both applied normal load and sliding speed. With increase in the applied normal load, the wear rate was observed to increase whereas the friction coefficient decreases. However, both the wear rate and friction coefficients were observed to vary proportionally with the sliding speed. During the wear tests, formation of a tribo-layer was observed, presence of which can affect the wear behavior, apart from acting as a source of wear debris. Tribo-layer formed over the worn disc surfaces was found to be heterogeneous in nature. Morphology and topography of worn surfaces and debris were studied using scanning electron microscope (SEM). Chemical composition of different wear products was obtained using electron probe micro analyzer (EPMA) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques. Possible wear mechanisms operative in Al-MMC—brake pad tribo-couple have been discussed.     

Tribological behaviour of uni-directionally aligned silicon nitride against steel

Textured silicon nitride, where the β-Si₃N₄ grains were uni-directionally aligned, was fabricated and the effect of anisotropy in microstructure on tribological properties was investigated, compared with a conventional Si₃N₄. The wear tests were carried out for the tribopair of textured silicon nitride ceramic and steel using a block-on-ring tester without lubrication. For the textured Si₃N₄, tribological properties were evaluated in three directions with respect to the grain alignment; the plane normal to the grain alignment and in the directions parallel and perpendicular to the grain alignment in the side plane. The friction coefficient values of each specimen were of the same level under the same sliding conditions. The values of specific wear rate for the plane normal to the grain alignment were lower than those of the other specimens for all sliding conditions. It is considered that the high wear resistance of this plane was caused by restricted microfracture, such as grain dropping and minimal abrasion by wear debris. Both the friction coefficient and specific wear rate were decreased with increasing sliding speed and normal load because of the formation of lubricative FeO between the sliding surfaces.     

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.