Study of tribological performance of ECR-CVD diamond-like carbon coatings on steel substrates: Part 1. The effect of processing parameters and operating conditions

Diamond-like carbon (DLC) coatings were prepared on AISI 440C steel substrates at room temperature by electron cyclotron resonance chemical vapor deposition (ECR-CVD) process in C₂H₂/Ar plasma. Using the designed Ti/TiN/TiCN/TiC interfacial transition layers, relatively thick DLC coatings (1-2 μm) were successfully prepared on the steel substrates. The friction and wear performance of the DLC coatings was evaluated by ball-on-disk tribometry using a steel counterbody at various normal loads (1-10 N) and sliding speeds (2-15 cm/s). By optimizing the deposition parameters such as negative bias voltage, DLC coatings with hardness up to 30 GPa and friction coefficients lower than 0.15 against the 100Cr6 steel ball could be obtained. The friction coefficient was maintained for 100,000 cycles (∼2.2 km) of dry sliding in ambient environments. In addition, the specific wear rates of the coatings were found to be extremely low (∼10⁻⁸ mm³/Nm); at the same time, the ball wear rates were one order of magnitude lower. The influences of the processing parameters and the sliding conditions were determined, and the frictional behavior of the coatings was discussed. It has been found that higher normal loads or sliding speeds reduced the wear rates of the coatings. Therefore, it is feasible to prepare hard and highly adherent DLC coatings with low friction coefficient and low wear rate on engineering steel substrates by the ECR-CVD process. The excellent tribological performance of DLC coatings enables their industrial applications as wear-resistant solid lubricants on sliding parts.     

Adsorption and lubricating properties of HFBII hydrophobins and diblock copolymer poly(methyl methacrylate-b-sodium acrylate) additives in water-lubricated copper vs. a-C:H contacts

In a metal forming process the adhesion between the workpiece and the tool needs to be minimised, which can be achieved by use of lubricants and coatings. Here adsorption and lubrication properties of HFBII hydrophobins and diblock copolymer poly(methyl methacrylate-b-sodium acrylate) in water-lubricated copper vs. a-C:H coating contacts were studied by Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) and by a pin-on-disc (POD) tribometer. Hydrophobins formed a dense monolayer film on a-C:H surface and reduced friction by 13–30% but increased the wear of copper compared to pure water lubrication. Poly(methyl methacrylate-b-sodium acrylate) formed a sparse lubricating layer compared to HFBII lubricated contacts, but the friction coefficient was lower. HFBII molecules prevented copper oxide tribofilm formation on the copper pin.     

Study of tribological performance of ECR-CVD diamond-like carbon coatings on steel substrates: Part 2. The analysis of wear mechanism

This paper describes the tribological performance of diamond-like carbon (DLC) coatings deposited on AISI 440C steel substrates by electron cyclotron resonance chemical vapor deposition (ECR-CVD) process. A variety of analytic techniques were used to characterize the coatings, such as Raman spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy (AFM) and nano-indentation. The sliding wear and friction experiments were carried out by the conventional ball-on-disk tribometry against 100Cr6 steel counterbody at various normal loads (1-10 N) and sliding speeds (2-15 cm/s). All the wear tests were conducted under dry sliding condition in ambient air for a total rotation cycle of 1 × 10⁵ (sliding distance ∼2.2 km). Surfaces of the coatings and the steel balls were examined before and after the sliding wear tests. The DLC coatings that had been tested all showed relatively low values of friction coefficient, in the range of 0.1-0.2 at a steady-state stage, and low specific wear rates (on the order of 10⁻⁸ mm³/Nm). It was found that higher normal loads or sliding speeds reduced the wear rates of the coatings. Plastic deformation became more evident on the coating surface during the sliding wear test at higher contact stresses. The friction-induced transformation of the coating surface into a graphite-like phase was revealed by micro-Raman analysis, and the flash temperature of the contact asperities was estimated. It was suggested that the structural transformation taking place within the wear tracks was mainly due to the formation of compact wear debris layer rather than the frictional heating effect. On the other hand, an adherent transfer layer (tribolayer) was formed on the counterface, which was closely related to the steady-state friction during sliding and the wear mechanisms. Fundamental knowledge combined with the present tribological study led to the conclusion that adhesive wear along with abrasion was probably the dominant wear mechanism for the DLC/steel sliding systems. Additionally, fatigue processes might also be involved in the wear of the coatings.     

The Tribological Properties of Monolayer KCl Films on Iron in Ultrahigh Vacuum: Modeling the Extreme-Pressure Lubricating Interface

The friction coefficients of thin KCl films deposited onto clean iron in ultrahigh vacuum are measured using a tungsten carbide tip. A rapid decrease is found in the friction coefficient from 2 for clean iron to 0.27 ± 0.03 after the deposition of 40 Å of KCl. Based on previous contact resistance measurements, this was proposed to be due to the completion of the first layer of KCl. The first-layer KCl coverage was measured by adsorbing deuterium onto an iron surface partially covered by KCl, where deuterium selectively adsorbs onto the iron. This revealed that the first monolayer is complete after the deposition of 40 Å of KCl and that the first-layer KCl film coverage _KCl ⁽¹⁾ is given by _KCl ⁽¹⁾ = 1 - exp(-0.39±0.02t), where t is the film thickness. XPS data suggest that heating a KCl film to 550 K causes it to wet the surface. This leads to decreases in the friction coefficients for thin KCl films in accord with the idea that friction is reduced by the first monolayer of KCl on iron. Temperature-programmed desorption data indicate that KCl in the first monolayer is 5 kJ/mol more stable than the multilayer consistent with the wetting behavior. Finally, the kinetic data are analyzed to suggest that the first-layer film is 2.6 Å thick.     

Tribological behavior and nature of tribofilms generated from fluorinated ZDDP in comparison to ZDDP under extreme pressure conditions—Part 1: Structure and chemistry of tribofilms

Tribofilms generated under boundary conditions at extreme pressure using lubricants containing fluorinated zinc dialkyl dithiophosphate (F-ZDDP) and zinc dialkyl dithiophosphates (ZDDP) were examined. F-ZDDP demonstrated superior wear performance compared to ZDDP even at lower phosphorus levels. The tribofilms generated by ZDDP and fluorinated ZDDP were analyzed using scanning electron microscopy, Auger electron spectroscopy and XPS. Transmission electron microscopy was conducted on wear debris. XANES spectroscopy was used to study the chemical and bonding environment of sulfur and phosphorus in these tribofilms. A phenomenological model of the tribofilms generated by ZDDP and fluorinated ZDDP was developed based on the experimental results.     

Sliding behavior of metallic glass: Part I. Experimental investigations

The unlubricated sliding characteristics of zirconium-based bulk metallic glass disks have been examined in vacuum and in air using sliders made from the same material or from a hard bearing steel (52100). The pin-on-disk test system allowed collection of debris, monitoring of the friction force and, using a Kelvin probe, in situ detection of changes in the structure and chemical composition of the disk surface. Post-test characterization included microhardness testing, X-ray diffraction, SEM and EDS. Examination of worn surfaces, cross-sections and debris confirmed the importance of plastic deformation, material transfer and environmental interactions. When devitrified material was tested, sliding processes caused the near-surface material to re-amorphize. Results from sliding of bulk metallic glass specimens were compared with those from related experiments involving crystalline metals and alloys. Although bulk metallic glasses are reported to have only limited ductility in tensile tests, the friction coefficients and worn surfaces of these materials are typical of ductile materials.     

Online monitoring of a pipe conveyor. Part I: Measurement and analysis of selected operational parameters

The need to maximize the performance and operational reliability of ecological continuous conveyor systems is increasing nowadays and their requirements are difficult to fulfil. One of the main reasons to this is the complexity of ecological continuous conveyor systems. Regular tracking and monitoring of systems selected parameters and indicators support their proper functioning and operational reliability. However, the process becomes useless if the parameters are not tracked and evaluated. The paper shall present the results of research aimed at determination of evaluation criteria for selected parameters. The research was carried out by a method of experimental measurement on an experimental rig the construction of which is similar to the construction of real pipe conveyors used in practice. Some of the convenient parameters to be tracked on a tube conveyor are a tension force and contact forces on hexagonal idler housing. The paper aims to track the course of contact forces and their mutual relations with intensity of tension forces. In order to create a comprehensive evaluation and analysis of the research, the experimental measurements were carried out for two cases, with and without material. The experimental tests are evaluated with the use of basic mathematical and statistics methods.     

Analyses of thermal hydrodynamic lubrication in high-speed rolling. Part I: the effect of the roller's elastic deformation

A study of thermal hydrodynamic lubrication for high-speed strip rolling, which includes the roller's elastic deformation, was developed for a lubricant whose rheological behaviour satisfies the Barus' model. The difference in lubricating performances between an elastic roller and a rigid roller was assessed using parameters such as film thickness and pressure; temperature distributions in the fluid film, roller, and workpiece; separating force and shear torque. The elastic roller was made either of a unique material or its substrate was coated with one layer of a harder material to improve the wear resistance. The elastic deformation of the roller was obtained with the aid of Hitchcock's elastic-deformation theory and the biharmonic equation of Airy's stress function. It was found that the elastic deformation produces a substantial effect on some rolling characteristics.