Effect of lubricants on the friction and wear of Al2O3 against gray cast iron

The tribological behavior of ceramic Al₂O₃ coupled with gray cast iron (PHT) with different lubricants was investigated using a ring-on-block wear tester. In the wear test, air, distilled water, emulsion and oil were used as lubricants respectively in order to check the lubricating effectiveness of lubricants and the friction mechanism of solid graphite in the cast iron. Wear testing of 0.8% C steel (T8) sliding with Al₂O₃ was also carried out to compare with the test using gray cast iron. From these data the tribological behavior of graphite in the iron can be evaluated. The results show that the friction and wear of tested couples are decreased using different lubricants in the following order: air, distilled water, emulsion and oil. When lubricating with air and water, graphite in the iron as solid lubricant can decrease the friction and wear of the couples. However, when lubricating with emulsion and oil, graphite does not show the advantage of decreasing friction and wear.     

Friction and wear properties of Fe7Mo6-based alloy in ethyl alcohol

In this study, the friction and wear properties of Fe₇Mo₆-based alloy, Fe and Mo disk specimens sliding against ASTM 52100 steel and Cu and SiC ball (or pin) specimens in ethyl alcohol were evaluated using an Optimol SRV oscillating friction and wear tester. The Fe₇Mo₆-based alloy disk specimens exhibited more stable friction coefficients than the Fe and Mo disk specimens when slid against the ASTM 52100 steel ball specimen. On the other hand, the Fe/SiC tribo-pairs exhibited the lowest average friction coefficients (0.14-0.17).     

Study on tribological and electrochemistry properties of metal materials in H2O2 solutions

Hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) is a kind of ideal green propellant. It is crucial to study the wear behavior and failure modes of the metal materials under the strong oxidizing environment of H₂O₂. This study aims to investigate the wear of rubbing pairs of 2Cr13 stainless steel against 1045 metal in H₂O₂ solutions, which has a great effect on wear, the decomposition and damage mechanism of materials. The comparison analysis of the friction coefficients, wear mass loss, worn surface topographies and current densities was conducted under different concentrations of H₂O₂ solutions. There were significant differences in the tribological and electrochemistry properties of the rubbing pairs in different H₂O₂ solutions.     

Friction and wear properties of UHMWPE/Al2O3 ceramic under different lubricating conditions

Friction and wear behavior of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) sliding against Al₂O₃ ceramic under dry sliding, and lubrication of fresh plasma, distilled water and physiological saline were investigated with a self-made pin-on-disk apparatus at 37±1°C. The worn surfaces were examined with a scanning electron microscope (SEM). The results show that the friction behavior of UHMWPE is very sensitive to its water absorption state. The wear rate of UHMWPE under dry sliding is the highest and under plasma lubrication is the lowest. The wear mechanisms are different under dry friction and various lubricating conditions.     

Tribological characteristics of bonded MoS2 films evaluated in rolling-sliding contact in a vacuum

Tribological characteristics of bonded MoS₂ films have been evaluated in air, nitrogen and vacuum using a two-roller type rolling-sliding friction apparatus. Two conventional space-proven films, polyamideimide-bonded and sodium silicate-bonded, designated as film A and film B respectively, were tested at a speed of 998 rev min^-1 under a load of 100 N at slip ratios of 1–100%, the slip ratio being defined as (V₁ - V₂)/ V₁ × 100%, in which V₁ and V₂ was rotational speed of each roller.

The wear life of the film A was more slip ratio dependent than that of the film B. The wear life of the film A tested in a vacuum was the longest at 10% slip ratio but it reduced significantly at 1%. On the contrary, the best durability of the film B was obtained at 100% slip ratio (pure sliding). The wear life of the film A shortened considerably in air and nitrogen.

In general, a solid lubricant film applied to spur gears is subjected to rolling-sliding friction of 0-10% slip ratios. To improve the endurance life of the film A at 1% slip ratio, films prepared by changing content of pigments (MoS₂ and Sb₂0₃) were evaluated. The films with a pigment content of 5-15% showed a marked improvement in wear life at a slip ratio of 1%, while maintaining excellent durability at 10%.

The wear process of an improved film was monitored using a gap sensor. It appears to be dominated by fatigue.     

Run-in behavior of nanocrystalline diamond coatings studied by in situ tribometry

The friction performance of nanocrystalline diamond coatings was evaluated using in situ tribometry with sapphire counterfaces. Coatings were grown by microwave plasma assisted chemical vapor deposition in an Ar–H–CH₄ plasma, with H ranging from 0 to 36%. In situ examination of the sliding contact, combined with ex situ analysis of the sapphire counterface revealed that the velocity accommodation mode was interfacial sliding of a carbonaceous transfer film versus the coating wear track. For most tests, the contact diameter increased during the first 50 sliding cycles and then remained constant. The in situ measure of the contact diameter was found to correlate confidently to ex situ measurements of counterface wear. The performance of the diamond coatings, characterized by quick run-in to low friction was best when a small but detectable graphite peak was present in the X-ray diffraction (XRD) profile. The relative intensity of the XRD graphite peak was also found to directly correlate with the peak position of the C1s → π* transition as measured by near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS) spectroscopy. Increasing the relative amount of graphite-bonded sp² carbon in the NCD films decreased run-in cycles to low friction.     

Tribochemical effects on the friction and wear behaviors of diamond-like carbon film under high relative humidity condition

Friction and wear behaviors of diamond-like carbon (DLC) film in humid N₂ (RH-100%) sliding against different counterpart ball (Si₃N₄ ball, Al₂O₃ ball and steel ball) were investigated. It was found that the friction and wear behaviors of DLC film were dependent on the friction-induced tribochemical interactions in the presence of the DLC film, water molecules and counterpart balls. When sliding against Si₃N₄ ball, a tribochemical film that mainly consisted of silica gel was formed on the worn surface due to the oxidation and hydrolysis of the Si₃N₄ ball, and resulted in the lowest friction coefficient and wear rate of the DLC film. The degradation of the DLC film catalyzed by Al₂O₃ ball caused the highest wear rate of DLC film when sliding against Al₂O₃ ball, while the tribochemical reactions between DLC film and steel ball led to the highest friction coefficient when sliding against steel ball.     

Effects of a second phase on the tribological properties of Al2O3 and ZrO2 ceramics

The tribological properties of four different materials are investigated, tetragonal zirconia (Y-ZTP), Al₂O₃ dispersed in Y-TZP (ADZ), ZrO₂ dispersed in Al₂O₃ (ZTA) and Al₂O₃ (with 300 ppm MgO). These materials are used as a cylinder sliding against a plate of Y-TZP (TZ-3Y)). Compared to Y-TZP, the wear resistance of ADZ composites is increased by a factor of 4–10. At a contact pressure of 230 MPa, a wear transition for Y-TZP is observed from plastic deformation to microchipping and microfracture due to the high interfacial temperature (450°C–550°C) generated by frictional heating. Because of the higher elastic modulus, hardness and fracture toughness at high temperature, ADZ composites show better wear resistance and a higher transition contact pressure (over 400 MPa) under the present conditions. For Al₂O₃, the transition from mild to severe wear occurs when the contact pressure is changed from 250 to 400 MPa. For ZTA ceramics, the wear behaviour does not change because of the presence of a compressive layer due to the zirconia phase transformation during sliding.

In water the wear resistance for ADZ and ZY5 is almost two orders of magnitude higher than the results under dry conditions. Reduction of the interfacial temperature by using water and the formation of a hydroxide layer at the contact surface by the tribochemical reaction of water with the ceramic, as observed by XPS, gives a positive effect on wear resistance.     

Friction and wear of self-mated SiC and Si3N4 sliding in water

The friction and wear of self-mated SiC and Si₃N₄ with different initial roughness sliding in water were investigated with pin-on-disk apparatus at normal load of 5 N and sliding speed of 120 mm/s in ambient condition. It was found that, for self-mated Si₃N₄, the wear mechanism for surface smoothening to obtain low friction was tribochemical wear, but for self-mated SiC, it changed from mechanical wear into tribochemical wear with increasing sliding cycles. After running-in in water, self-mated Si₃N₄ exhibited lower steady-state friction coefficient than self-mated SiC did. For these two ceramics, initial and steady-state friction coefficients were hardly dependent on initial roughness. Initial roughness mainly affected the running-in period. The larger the initial roughness, the longer the running-in period, but the running-in period was much shorter for self-mated Si₃N₄ at each initial roughness than that for self-mated SiC.     

Y2O3改性石墨/CaF2/TiC/镍基合金复合涂层微观组织与摩擦学性能研究

为提高石墨/CaF₂/TiC/镍基合金（GCTN）复合涂层的力学性能和摩擦学性能,运用等离子喷涂技术在45钢表面制备了Y₂O₃改性GCTN复合涂层,研究了Y₂O₃对复合涂层的微观组织、显微硬度、断裂韧性和摩擦磨损性能的影响。结果表明：Y₂O₃改性GCTN复合涂层主要由γ-Ni、CrB、Cr7C₃、TiC、CaF₂和石墨等物相组成。Y₂O₃在等离子火焰加热作用下与C元素反应生成活性元素Y,Y净化了复合涂层的微观组织,并细化了CrB、Cr₃C7等硬质相晶粒,提高了其致密性。当Y₂O₃质量分数为0.5%时,复合涂层的显微硬度和断裂韧性分别为593.3MPa和6.82MPa·m^1/2,比不含Y₂O₃的复合涂层分别增大了8%和22%,其机理主要是Y₂O₃细化了CrB、Cr₃C₇等硬质相晶粒,起到了细化强化作用。由于GCTN-0.5Y₂O₃复合涂层的显微硬度和断裂韧性显著提高,减少了其黏着磨损和微观断裂磨损,因而GCTN-0.5Y₂O₃复合涂层的摩擦因数和磨损率最小,分别为0.085和0.39×10-3mm3/m。     

A study of the friction and wear performance of MoSx thin films produced by ion beam enhanced deposition and magnetron sputtering

MoS_x thin films were deposited by ion beam enhanced deposition (IBED) and magnetron sputtering (MS) onto the surface of IBEN Si₃N₄ and TiN thin films. The friction and wear performances of thin films and 52100 steel were compared using an SRV model reciprocating testing machine. The results showed that all MoS_x films exhibit good tribological behavior. The MS MoS_x thin film has better wear resistance and the IBED MoS_x film has a longer wear life. The wear resistance of IBED Si₃N₄ and TiN thin film plus MoS_x film is 3–4 times and 8–20 times that of single IBED Si₃N₄ and TiN thin films and 52100 steel respectively. The analyses indicate that the difference in friction and wear performance between the two kinds of MoS_x thin film is determined by the x value of MoS_x, its microstructure and the atom mixing effect at the interface.     

摩擦偶件对PDDA/PSS分子沉积膜摩擦磨损行为的影响

利用分子沉积技术在单晶硅基底上制备了PDDA/PSS分子沉积膜。采用UV-vis吸收光谱对沉积过程进行了跟踪检测,用原子力显微镜观察了分子沉积膜的表面形貌,考察了摩擦偶件材料对PDDA/PSS分子沉积膜摩擦学行为的影响,并探讨了其磨损机制。实验结果表明,薄膜与较硬的偶件材料对摩时,剪切应力较大,薄膜很容易被磨穿,抗磨寿命极短;在相同实验条件下,薄膜与Cu球对摩时,薄膜的耐磨寿命最长,不锈钢球次之,与Si3N4球和WC球对摩时,薄膜的耐磨寿命较短。     

Preparation and characterization of nanocrystalline ZrO2-7%Y2O3 powders for thermal barrier coatings by high-energy ball milling

High-energy ball milling is an effective method to produce nanocrystalline oxides. In this study, a conventional ZrO₂-7%Y₂O₃ spray powder was ball-milled to produce nanocrystalline powders with high levels of crystalline disorders for deposition of thermal barrier coatings. The powder was milled both with 100Cr6 steel balls and with ZrO₂-3%Y₂O₃ ceramic balls as grinding media. The milling time was varied in order to investigate the effect of the milling time on the crystallite size. The powders were investigated in terms of their crystallite sizes and morphologies by X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The results show that under given milling conditions the powder was already nanostructured after 40 min milling. The crystallite size decreased significantly with increasing milling time within first 120 min. After that, a further increase of milling time did not lead to a significant reduction of the crystallite size. Ball-milling led to lattice microstrains. Milling with the steel balls resulted in finer nano-sized crystal grains, but caused the contamination of the powder. The nano-sized crystal grains coarsened during the heat-treatment at 1250°C.     

Role of the Transfer Film on the Friction and Wear of Metal Carbide Reinforced Amorphous Carbon Coatings During Run-in

The relationship between friction, wear, and transfer films of three metal carbide-reinforced amorphous carbon coatings (TiC/a:C, TiC/a:C–H, and WC/a:C–H), sometimes referred to as metal-doped diamond-like carbon coatings, has been investigated. Tribological tests were performed in an in situ tribometer with sapphire or steel hemispheres run against coated flats in dry or ambient air. The sliding contact interface was observed and recorded by optical microscopy during reciprocating sliding tests. The friction and wear behavior during run-in depended on the number of sliding cycles to form a stationary transfer film on the hemisphere. Stationary transfer films formed rapidly (within ten cycles) and the friction coefficient fell to 0.2 (ambient air) or 0.1 (dry air), except with sapphire against WC/a:C–H in dry air; with the latter, a stationary transfer film required nearly 100 cycles to form, during which the friction remained high and the wear rate was from 10 to 100 times higher than the other two coatings. For all coatings, three velocity accommodation modes (VAM) were observed from run-in to steady-state sliding and were correlated with the friction and wear behavior. The delayed adherence of the transfer film to sapphire from WC/a:C–H coatings in dry air is discussed in terms of equilibrium thermochemistry. Friction and wear behavior during run-in, therefore, depended on transfer film adherence to the hemisphere and the VAM between transfer films and the coating.     

Tribological behavior of select MAX phases against Al2O3 at elevated temperatures

The layered M_n+1AC_n ternary carbides – MAX phases – Ta₂AlC, Ti₂AlC, Cr₂AlC and Ti₃SiC₂ were tested under dry sliding conditions against alumina at 550 °C and 3 N load (for a stress of ≈0.08 MPa) using a pin-on-disk tribometer. Ta₂AlC and Ti₂AlC exhibited low specific wear rates, SWRs, (≤1 × 10⁻⁶ mm³/N m), while the coefficients of friction, μ, were 0.9 and 0.6, respectively. At 0.4, μ of Ti₃SiC₂ was the lowest measured, but the SWR, at ≈2 × 10⁻⁴ mm³/N m, was high. With a μ of 0.44 and a SWR of 6 × 10⁻⁵ mm³/N m the Cr₂AlC sample was in between. No visible wear of Al₂O₃ counterparts was observed in all the tribocouples. Tribofilms, which were mainly comprised of X-ray amorphous oxides of the M and A elements and, in some cases, unoxidized grains of the corresponding MAX phases, were formed on the contact surfaces. The correlations between observed tribological properties and tribofilm characteristics are discussed.     

Sliding velocity dependency of the friction coefficient of Si-containing diamond-like carbon film under oil lubricated condition

In this study we investigated the sliding velocity dependency of the coefficient of friction for a Si-containing diamond-like carbon (DLC-Si) film in an automatic transmission fluid (ATF) under a wide range of contact pressures. The DLC-Si film and a nitrided steel with a surface roughness, Rz_JIS, of around 3.0 μm were used as disk specimens. A high-carbon chromium steel (JIS-SUJ2) bearing ball was used as a ball specimen. Friction tests were conducted using a ball-on-disk friction apparatus under a wide range of sliding velocites (0.1-2.0 m/s) and contact pressures (P_max: 0.42-3.61 GPa) in ATF. The friction coefficients for the nitrided steel had a tendency to decrease with an increase in sliding veloicity under all the contact pressure conditions; however, the friction coefficients for the DLC-Si film were stable with respect to sliding velocities under all the contatct pressures. These results indicate that the DLC-Si film suppresses the stick-slip motion during sliding againt steel in ATF, which is a desired frictional characteristic for the electromagnetic clutch disks used under lubrication. Furthermore, the DLC-Si film showed a higher wear resistance and lower aggression on the steel ball specimen than the nitrided steel. There were less hydrodynamic effects on the friction coefficient for the DLC-Si film possibly due to maintenance of the initial surface roughness and its poorer wettability with the fluid. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis of the sliding surfaces revealed that the adsorption film derived from the succinimide on the sliding surfaces of the DLC-Si film and the mating steel ball also contributed to the sufficient and less sliding-velocity-dependant friction coefficients.     

Dry friction and wear of toughened zirconias and toughened aluminas against steel

The unlubricated friction and wear behavior of toughened zirconias and toughened aluminas against hardened steel was studied using the Falex ring-and-block technique. Three experimental ZrO₂-Y₂O₃ ceramics, two commercial ZrO₂-MgO ceramics and two commercial Al₂O₃-ZrO₂ ceramics were investigated. Each ceramic was tested at 500 rev min⁻¹ (92 cm s⁻¹) and 2000 rev min⁻¹ (367 cm s⁻¹) at normal loads in the range 2.3–40.8 kgf. The materials characteristics of the ceramics before test, the features of the tested samples, and the friction and wear data are presented and related. Under mild wear conditions, all the ceramics exhibited low wear, with the ZrO₂-Y₂O₃ samples having the lowest. The wear of the toughened zirconias exhibited a strong sensitivity to sliding speed, while the toughened aluminas did not. Also, the lower toughness ceramics were susceptible to macroscale structural damage (cracking and chipping) even when the overall wear was low. Micro structural examination of a tested friction pair (ring, ceramic block and wear debris) has shown that the wear process is very complex, encompassing many mechanisms which are described. A generalized wear equation relating wear to load, sliding speed and sliding time is proposed.     

Tribological Behavior of TiC/a-C:H-Coated and Uncoated Steels Sliding Against Phenol–Formaldehyde Composite Reinforced with PTFE and Glass Fibers

Tribological experiments on phenol–formaldehyde composite reinforced with polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) and glass fibers were performed against 100Cr6 steel and TiC/a-C:H thin film-coated 100Cr6 steel. In both cases, the coefficient of friction increases with increasing sliding distance until a steady-state value is reached. Although the steady-state values of the coefficient of friction are very close and ultralow, the wear rate of the PTFE composite liner at a long sliding distance (1,000 m) is reduced when the steel ball is coated with the TiC/a-C:H coating. This behavior is mainly attributed to the smoother surface after long sliding and the improved wear resistance of TiC/a-C:H coating. PTFE transfer films are evident on the surfaces of the hard counterparts. The average thickness of the transfer film on TiC/a-C:H-coated surfaces is about 3.8 nm. On the surface of uncoated steel ball, a continuous but non-uniform transfer film of around 13.9 nm average thickness was found.     

Vibration monitoring in sliding wear of plasma sprayed ceramics

Dry frictional contact between two surfaces, one made of plasma sprayed ceramic coatings of Al₂O₃ and Al₂O₃---TiO₂ combination and the other made of steel, is analyzed. The experiments were conducted using a pin-on-disc set-up in the load range of 5–35 N and for sliding distances up to 14 km. The interactions between friction, wear and vibrations due to influence of normal load, sliding speed and system dynamics are investigated in the present paper. Two vibration parameters of pin in the load direction (vertical) are monitored, namely the r.m.s. acceleration and the kurtosis, which seem to be influenced considerably by the wear process and indicate correlation with wear mechanisms taking place such as stick-slip and grain pull-out, as evidenced by scanning electron microscopy of worn surfaces. The study shows that a range of frequency is to be utilized for vibration monitoring to include natural frequencis of the system consisting of pin in contact with disc. This could be estimated by a standard impulse hammer test. The pin acceleration decreases with increase in load and sliding distance, but with respect to sliding speed, the vibration level intially decreases but increases beyond the sliding speed of 1.5 m s⁻¹. Among the three ceramic coatings, TiO₂ is found to be most wear resistant, exhibiting the lowest friction coefficient and a low vibration level. Variation in kurtosis with run-in wear indicates smoothing of Al₂O₃ due to grain pull out.     

Fretting wear behavior of TiB2-based materials against bearing steel under water and oil lubrication

Lubricated fretting tests in water and paraffin oil were performed with a monolithic TiB₂, a TiB₂-based cermet with 16 vol.% Ni₃(Al, Ti) binder, a sialon–TiB₂ (60/40) composite and a ZrO₂–TiB₂ (70/30) composite against ball bearing grade steel. Based on the measured friction and wear data, the ranking of the investigated fretting couples was evaluated. Furthermore, the morphological investigations of the worn surfaces and transfer layers are carried out and the wear mechanisms for the investigated friction couples are elucidated. While fretting in water, experiments revealed that tribochemical reactions, coupled with mild abrasion, played a major role in the wear behavior of the studied material combinations. ZrO₂–TiB₂ (70/30)/steel wear couple has been found to have the highest fretting wear resistance among the different tribocouples under water lubrication. Under oil lubrication, extensive cracking of the paraffin oil at the fretting contacts, caused by tribodegradation, leads to the deposition of a carbon-rich lubricating layer, which significantly reduced friction and wear of all the investigated tribosystems.