Tribological study and mechanism of B–N and B–S–N triazine borate esters as lubricant additives in mineral oil

The tribological study of N-containing heterocyclic borate esters as lubricating additives had been the research hotspot. In this work, B–N and B–S–N triazine borate esters were synthesized and their antiwear/extreme pressure (AW/EP) properties were studied. Results showed the synthetical additives had good AW performance. However, B–S–N triazine borate ester showed excellent EP property while B–N triazine borate ester hardly owned EP property. The hydrolytic stability of borate ester additives was improved by the formation of coordination of nitrogen to boron. The XANES spectroscopy analysis showed that there was a layer of borate–oxygen–iron inorganics in the tribofilms. The existence of iron sulfate and iron sulfide guaranteed good AW/EP properties of B–S–N triazine borate ester additive in mineral oil.     

Tribological properties of Mo–S–I nanowires as additive in oil

A new nanowire-like material with the chemical formula Mo₆S_4.5I_4.5 was studied as additive in a synthetic base oil, a polyalphaolefin (PAO). This material presents interesting friction reducing properties, with friction coefficients reaching a value of 0.04 in boundary lubrication. Transmission and scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy were used to characterise nanowires before and after friction. The combination of these techniques gave evidence of MoS₂ formation in the contact area during friction tests. This structural evolution of nanowires explains their good friction reducing properties.     

Tribological properties of Mg/Al–CO3 layered double hydroxide as additive in base oil

Abstract

The tribological performance of Mg/Al–CO₃–layered double hydroxide (LDHs) nanoparticles in base oil was studied as a sole additive and in combination with zinc dialkyldithiophosphate (ZDDP) at 100°C. Results show that LDHs could improve antifriction and antiwear properties of base oil. The blend with LDHs alone shows better antifriction properties than that of the mixture of LDHs and ZDDP, but the addition of ZDDP helps to stabilise the friction coefficient. Surface analyses have been performed to study the morphology, nanoparticle distribution and chemical species in the tribofilm. The results show that tribofilms contain Mg, Al, C, O, Zn, P and S, and the structure of Mg/Al–CO₃–LDHs changes under shearing stress and this process can help reduce friction coefficient. Thus, LDHs could be chemically incorporated into tribofilm to reduce the polyphosphate chain length originated from ZDDP decomposition resulting in a medium chain polyphosphate, which provides very good wear protection.     

Tribological Performance of Ti–Si-Based in Situ Composites

In this study, a series of Ti–Si-based in situ composites was manufactured by means of a common argon arc melting technique and tribologically evaluated using a sliding ball-on-disc tester under simulated body fluid lubrication. The composite microstructure, mechanical properties, and surface roughness were characterized using light and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), vertical scanning interferometry (VSI), X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, and hardness measurements. The evolution of coefficients of friction (COFs) and the appearance of contacting surfaces showed that two the principal wear mechanisms were mixed elastohydrodynamic lubrication (EHL), typically followed by abrasive wear. The mixed EHL was due to the combined effect of serum solution lubrication and surface irregularities, which were produced during the routine surface preparation of samples. The mixed EHL provided the absence of wear and low and stable COFs, which did not depend on the phase composition, microstructure, or hardness of Ti–Si-based alloys. However, in most cases, the change in contact geometry led to the transition from mixed EHL to conventional boundary lubrication, accompanied by increased and unstable friction, adhesive material transfer of metal to the ceramic counterbodies, and abrasive wear. In this respect, the low wear resistance and high adhesion affinity of the titanium matrix of Ti–Si-based alloys should be improved.     

Tribological characterisation of epoxy–graphene–liquid filler composite coatings on steel under base oil external lubrication

In our earlier study, epoxy-based composites with graphene (10?wt-%) and in situ liquid fillers (base oil SN150 or perfluoropolyether at 10?wt-%) were found to provide low friction and highly wear durable as thin coatings on the steel substrate in dry interfacial state. In this present work, we have tested this composite in the presence of an external lubricant (base oil SN150). The lowest coefficient of friction was recorded as 0.04 and the lowest specific wear rate was measured as 9.8?×?10^?7?mm^3?Nm^?1 for the composites without any failure of the coating up to 200,000 sliding cycles. It is shown that such polymeric coatings can be an excellent boundary film in both dry and lubricated conditions for various bearings.     

Tribological Properties of Twin Electron-Beam Evaporated Cr–N and Al–Cr–N Coatings Under Laboratory Sliding and Drill Experiments

The tribological behavior of substoichiometric Cr–N and Al–Cr–N coatings prepared by twin electron-beam evaporation at 450 °C was studied. Al–Cr–N coatings with Al to Cr ratios in the range of 1–8 (and nitrogen concentrations of ~45 at.%) were synthesized and compared to Cr–N reference samples. The focus of this work is on Al–Cr–N (Al ≥ 30 at.%) coatings with the aim of (a) replacing Cr with Al due to environmental concerns and (b) achieving improved mechanical properties, and tribological performance. The composition, structure, mechanical and tribological properties of the coatings were determined using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and scanning electron microscopy in combination with nanoindentation measurements, laboratory controlled ball-on-disk sliding experiments, and wet and dry drilling experiments. It was found that all Al–Cr–N coatings exhibit higher hardness values compared to Cr–N coatings. Al–Cr–N coatings with Al contents and Al/Cr ratios of ≤38 at.% and ≤1.7, respectively, showed better performance than the rest of the coatings during both drilling and laboratory tribological experiments.     

Tribological Performance of Halogen-Free Ionic Liquids in Steel–Steel and DLC–DLC Contacts

The tribological performance of halogen-free ionic liquids at steel–steel and diamond-like carbon (DLC)–DLC contacts was investigated. Hydrogenated amorphous carbon (a-C:H) and tetrahedral amorphous carbon (ta-C) were used as test specimens. Friction tests were carried out on steel–steel, a-C:H–a-C:H, and ta-C–ta-C contacts by using a reciprocating cylinder-on-disk tribotester lubricated with two different types of halogen-free ionic liquids: 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium dicyanamide ([BMIM][DCN]) and 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tricyanomethanide ([BMIM][TCC]). From the results of friction tests, the ta-C–ta-C tribopair lubricated with [BMIM][DCN] or [BMIM][TCC] exhibited an ultralow friction coefficient of 0.018–0.03. On the other hand, ultralow friction was not observed at the steel–steel and a-C:H–a-C:H contacts. Measurements obtained with a laser scanning microscope and an atomic force microscope (AFM) showed that a chemical reaction film, derived from the ionic liquid lubricant used, was formed on the steel surfaces. However, this chemical reaction film was not observed on either of the DLC surfaces. The AFM results showed that there were high-viscosity products on the ta-C surfaces, that the wear tracks on the ta-C surfaces exhibited low frictional properties, and that the ta-C surfaces were extremely smooth after the friction tests. Based on these results, it was concluded that an ionic liquid–derived adsorbed film formed on the ta-C surface and resulted in the ultralow friction when lubricated with a halogen-free ionic liquid.     

Using Methods of Analysis of Optical Images of Friction Surfaces of Ti–Al–N Based Coatings for Assessing Accumulation of Damage and Diagnostics of Failure in Tribological Tests

Russian Journal of Nondestructive Testing - The processes of damage accumulation and failure in thin ceramic coatings based on the Ti–Al–N system deposited on ductile steel and brittle...     

Tribological Performance of PTFE–Metal Binary Coatings in Rolling/Sliding Contact

Tribological performance of surface coatings with embedded PTFE reservoirs in rolling/sliding contact is reported. Using two different coating materials and two shapes and patterns of PTFE reservoirs test samples in the form of discs were prepared and tested in a four-ball contact configuration under loads corresponding to nominal contact pressure of 0.5 and 1.0 GPa. It was found that one coating, namely aluminium–bronze with embedded PTFE reservoirs is suitable for applications where rolling is also associated with a degree of sliding and there is no external lubrication.     

Arc Evaporation of Ti–Al–Ta–N Coatings: The Effect of Bias Voltage and Ta on High-temperature Tribological Properties

Recently, titanium aluminium tantalum nitride (Ti–Al–Ta–N) coatings have been shown to exhibit beneficial properties for cutting applications. However, the reason for the improved behaviour of these coatings in comparison to unalloyed Ti–Al–N is not yet clear. Here, we report on the tribological mechanisms present in the temperature range between 25 and 900 °C for this coating system, and in particular on the effect of the bias voltage during deposition on the tribological response. Based on these results, we provide an explanation for the improved performance of Ta-alloyed coatings. An industrial-scale cathodic arc evaporation facility was used to deposit the coatings from powder metallurgically produced Ti₄₀Al₆₀ and Ti₃₈Al₅₇Ta₅ targets at bias voltages ranging from −40 to −160 V. X-ray diffraction experiments displayed a change with increasing bias voltage from a dual-phase structure containing cubic and hexagonal phases to a single-phase cubic structure. Investigations of the wear behaviour at various temperatures showed different controlling effects in the respective temperature ranges. The results of dry sliding tests at room temperature were independent of bias voltage and Ta-alloying, where the atmosphere, i.e. moisture and oxygen, were the most important parameters during the test. At 500 °C, bias and droplet-generated surface roughness were identified to determine the tribological behaviour. At 700 and 900 °C, wear depended on the coating’s resistance to oxidation, which was also influenced by the bias voltage. In conclusion, Ta-alloyed coatings show a significantly higher resistance to oxidation than unalloyed Ti–Al–N which could be an important reason for the improved performance in cutting operations.     

Tribological Characterization of Aromatic Thermosetting Copolyester–PTFE Blends in Air Conditioning Compressor Environment

The tribological behavior of a wide range of compositions using blends of aromatic thermosetting polyester (ATSP) with polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) has been investigated. PTFE was chosen as the blending material because of its low coefficient of friction and good performance at high temperatures and resistance to chemicals. ATSP blends were used to specifically combat some of the shortcomings of PTFE like its extremely low wear resistance and poor mechanical properties, and special processing requirements due to its high melt viscosity. Controlled tribological experiments simulating an air conditioning compressor operating with R134a refrigerant under realistic operating conditions were carried out with different ATSP/PTFE compositions, as well as four different state-of-the-art commercially available composites containing carbon fibers, graphite and PTFE. It was found that the newly synthesized composites exhibited superb tribological characteristics as far as low friction and low wear were concerned. The wear performance of PTFE was greatly improved, while it was shown that greater amounts of ATSP used in the blend lead to lower wear and the amount of ATSP did not significantly alter the friction coefficient. Material transfer and development of a weak film on the disk surface was observed, especially for the blends with higher PTFE content.     

Theoretical Study on Tribological Mechanism of Solid Lubricating Films in a Sand–Dust Environment

A model based on energy dissipation was developed to describe the tribological behavior of solid lubricant films in sand–dust environment. A relationship between wear rate and coefficient of friction was obtained. Theoretical results kept well consistent with the experimental data in reported publications (Qi et al., Tribol Lett 38:195–205, 2010; Surf Interface Anal 43:836–846, 2011; Wear 271:899–910, 2011). It was pointed out that the absolute value of slope of the simulated straight line is closely related with mechanical properties of solid lubricant films. The results increased our understanding about the individual friction and wear mechanism for solid lubricant films in sand–dust environment.     

Tribological performances of ZDDP and ashless triphenyl phosphorothionate (TPPT) as lubricant additives on Ti–N and Ti–Al–N coated steel surfaces

Abstract

In recent years, there has been much attention on the effects of lubricant additives on the friction and wear properties of surface coatings. However, little research has been conducted to investigate the influence of antiwear additives on the tribological performances of titanium nitride (Ti–N) and titanium aluminium nitride (Ti–Al–N) coatings. It has been reported that introducing aluminium into Ti–N coatings enhanced their oxidation resistance. In this study utilising a pin on cylinder tribometer, lubricants containing zinc dialkyl dithiophosphate (ZDDP) or a more environmentally friendly alternative, ashless triphenyl phosphorothionate (TPPT), were used. Experimental results revealed that ZDDP and TPPT helped to reduce wear on both coatings through the formation of a tribofilm, although it was also found that both additives increased the friction coefficient on both surfaces. Based on overall findings, this paper suggests the use of TPPT as a suitable ZDDP replacement for providing wear protection on Ti–N and Ti–Al–N coatings.     

Effect of Extrusion on the Microstructure and Tribological Behavior of Copper–Tin Composites Containing MoS2

This article deals with the effect of extrusion on the microstructures and tribological properties of powder metallurgy–fabricated copper–tin composites containing MoS₂ by optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and tribotesting. The extrusion decreases the number of pores and increases the density and hardness and thus improves the tribological properties of the composites. Results demonstrated that abrasion is the dominant wear mechanism in all extruded composites, whereas a combination of adhesion and delamination appears to be the governing mechanism for prepared composites. The developed hot-extruded composites exhibited lower coefficient of friction and wear rates compared to prepared composites. Design Expert software was used to develop contour map.     

Mapping erosion–corrosion of carbon steel in oil–water solutions: Effects of velocity and applied potential

In this study, the erosion–corrosion performance of carbon steel was investigated in crude oil, reservoir water, and a mixture of both solutions at a range of applied potentials, velocities and impact angle. The application of such work is to upstream and downstream oilfield conditions, where the proportions of hydrocarbon and water may vary during the extraction process over time. Following exposure of the carbon steel in the crude oil, the extent of erosion was greater than that of corrosion, whilst in the reservoir water, the erosion and corrosion contributions were similar. Regimes of erosion–corrosion were proposed based on the variation in erosion behaviour at various impact angles and applied potentials in the environments studied. Mechanistic changes were identified on erosion–corrosion maps as a function of velocity and applied potential at various impact angles, indicating important transitions in erosion–corrosion processes in the oil/water environments.     

Comparative study of the tribological behavior of self-lubricating W–S–C and Mo–Se–C sputtered coatings

Transition metal dichalcogenides (TMD) have been one of the best alternatives as low friction coatings for tribological applications, particularly in dry and vacuum environments. However, besides their deficient behavior in humid containing atmospheres, their extensive application has also been restricted due to their low load-bearing capacity. In order to overcome these problems, recently the alloying with C has been tried with the expectation of simultaneously improving the coatings hardness and reaching sliding contacting phases more convenient for achieving low friction in humid environments.The practical application of this concept was extensively studied with the W–S–C system, with the C addition being achieved either by reactive or co-sputtering processes. The best tribological results were obtained by co-sputtering from a C target embedded with an increasing number of WS₂ pellets. Excellent results were reached from the more than one order of magnitude increase in the coatings hardness up to friction coefficients which are close to those of the references of self-lubricating coatings: TMD for dry or vacuum atmospheres or C-based coatings for terrestrial sliding conditions.Following the good results achieved with W–S–C system, other TMDs systems have been envisaged to be studied. The main focus was placed on the Mo–Se–C system.In this paper, the general comparison between W–S–C and Mo–Se–C coatings is presented. The main effort is pointed on the tribological behavior of both systems when tested by pin-on-disk against steel counterpart balls under different testing conditions: applied normal loads, temperatures and relative humidity of the atmospheres. Both coatings were deposited by co-sputtering from a C target with a varying number of TMD pellets which could lead to C contents in the films in the range from 30  up to 70 at.%. A Ti interlayer was interposed between the films and the substrates for improving the adhesion.Typically, W–S–C films are harder than Mo–Se–C films. From the tribological point of view, W–S–C films are more thermally stable than Mo–Se–C films although the friction coefficients of these last ones are lower when tested in humid containing atmospheres.     

Application of unscented R–T–S smoothing based on novel mathematical model in SINS/GPS integrated system post processing

The integrated system of Strapdown Inertial Navigation System (SINS) and Global Positioning System (GPS) has become widely-applied equipment in airborne remote sensing for getting the motion information. For the SINS/GPS integration used estimation theory, the mathematical model plays an important role in the optimal estimation of state. In this paper, the main factors that affect the precision of SINS/GPS integrated estimation in IMU calibration errors are considered and a novel nonlinear mathematical model is proposed. An unscented Rauch–Tung–Striebel smoother (URTSS) is implemented based on this model, and Monto Carlo simulation and flight test with a loaded SINS/GPS integrated system are conducted to verify the performance of this model. The comparison results indicate that the proposed nonlinear model can effectively improve the attitude estimate precision.     

Tribological Properties of Reactive Magnetron Sputtered V2O5 and VN–V2O5 Coatings

Next generation of advanced hard coatings for tribological applications should combine the advantages of hard wear resistant coatings with low-friction films. In this study, the tribological behaviour of vanadium pentoxide (V₂O₅) single-layer as well as VN–V₂O₅ bi-layer coatings was investigated in the temperature ranging between 25 and 600 °C. For VN–V₂O₅ bi-layer coatings, the V₂O₅ top-layers were deposited by dc and bipolar-pulsed dc reactive magnetron sputtering, where the V₂O₅ phase shows preferred growth orientation in (200) and (110), respectively. The V₂O₅ single-layer coatings were prepared by dc reactive magnetron sputtering with a substrate bias of −80 V which leads to a preferred (200) growth orientation. Tribological properties were evaluated using a ball-on-disc configuration in ambient air with alumina balls as counterpart. The structure of the as-deposited films and eventual changes after tribometer testing were identified using X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The friction coefficient of VN–V₂O₅ bi-layer coatings deposited in dc and pulsed dc mode decreases from room temperature to 600 °C, where the pulsed dc VN–V₂O₅ coatings have a significantly lower coefficient of friction over the whole testing temperatures reaching a value of 0.28 at 600 °C. Up to 400 °C, V₂O₅ single-layer coatings showed almost the same coefficient of friction as pulsed dc VN–V₂O₅ bi-layer coatings but reached a value of 0.15 at 600 °C. It seems that thermal activation of crystallographic slip systems is necessary for V₂O₅ films to show a low-friction effect.     

Tribological properties of NiCr–Al2O3 cermet-based composites with addition of multiple-lubricants at elevated temperatures

The tribological properties of NiCr-40 wt% Al₂O₃ (NC40A) cermet-based composites containing SrSO₄ and other lubricant (graphite, MoS₂ and Ag) against alumina ball were evaluated to identify their self-lubrication mechanisms from room temperature to 800 °C. The composites demonstrated distinct improvements in effectively reducing friction and wear, as compared to NC40A cermet. The best results were observed for NC40A–10SrSO₄–10Ag composite, which exhibited satisfactory reproducibility of friction coefficient over a wide temperature range (200–800 °C) through high temperature cyclic friction tests due to the formation of synergistic lubricating films SrAl₄O₇, NiCr₂O₄ and Ag on the contact surface.     

Tribological Properties and Wear Mechanisms of NiCr–Al2O3–SrSO4–Ag Self-Lubricating Composites at Elevated Temperatures

NiCr–Al₂O₃–SrSO₄–Ag self-lubricating composites were prepared by powder metallurgy method and the tribological properties of composites were evaluated by a ball-on-disk tribometer against alumina ball at wide temperature range from the room temperature to 1,000 °C in air. The linear coefficient of thermal expansion was evaluated for investigation of thermal stability of composites. The tribo-chemical reaction films formed on the rubbing surfaces and their effects on the tribological properties of composites at different temperatures were addressed according to the surface characterization by SEM, XRD, and XPS. The results show that the NiCr–Al₂O₃ composite with addition of 10 wt% SrSO₄ and 10 wt% Ag exhibits satisfying friction and wear properties over the entire temperature range from room temperature to 1,000 °C. The composition of the tribo-layers on the worn surfaces of the composites is varied at different temperatures. The synergistic lubricating effect of SrAl₄O₇, Ag, and NiCr₂O₄ lubricating films formed on worn surfaces were identified to reduce the friction coefficient and wear rate from room temperature to 800 °C. Meanwhile, at 1,000 °C, the SrCrO₄ and NiAl₂O₄ was formed on the worn surfaces during sliding process, combining with the NiCr₂O₄, Al₂O₃, Cr₂O₃, Ag, and Ag₂O, which play an important role in the formation of a continuous lubricating film on the sliding surface.