The elastohydrodynamic transition speed for spheres sliding on lubricated rubber

An elastohydrodynamic number derived elsewhere in the literature [1] characterizes the onset of hydrodynamic support for a rigid sphere sliding on a lubricated viscoelastic base. This number includes elastic properties of the base track, in contrast with previous studies where such have been neglected. A generalized coefficient of sliding friction has been defined as the actual coefficient of friction divided by the tangent modulus of the viscoelastic material. Experimental plots of the coefficient of friction versus sliding speed for spheres sliding on lubricated rubber are shown to produce a relatively sudden decay in coefficient at the transition speed from “dry” to elastohydrodynamic contact. These plots in turn fit closely on a master curve of generalized coefficient of friction versus the elastohydrodynamic number.The inclusion of surface roughness on the sphere produces both a higher value of the generalized coefficient prior to the transition speed and a higher sliding velocity at which the transition itself occurs. Furthermore, the rate of decay for the generalized coefficient of friction appears distinctly greater for rough spheres. The overall effect of roughness is to reduce the difference between the dry and wet coefficients of sliding friction. Random abrasion of the spheres with emery paper of known grit size appears to be an effective method of inducing surface roughness on the spheres. The nature of all the experimental curves may be satisfactorily explained by squeeze-film theory.An important application of the sliding of smooth and rough spheres on a lubricated flexible base is the sliding/slipping behaviour of automobile tyres on a wet road surface during normal rolling.     

The effect of phosphating on the friction and wear properties of grey cast iron

The friction and wear resistance of two commercial manganese phosphate coatings have been evaluated. Grey cast iron wear pins were treated by the two processes and were tested by sliding against a steel disc, under both lubricated and dry sliding wear conditions.Phosphating increases the sliding distance to scuffing as well as the scuffing load, whilst marginally reducing the coefficient of friction. No advantage was found in phosphating dry sliding surfaces.Phosphating reduces the likelihood of adhesive wear in marginal or poorly lubricated sliding couples. The choice of phosphate coating is primarily dependent on the surface finish of the sliding counterface; thin coatings are suitable if the counterface is smooth but thicker coatings are superior against rougher surfaces.     

Microstructural and sliding wear behaviour of a heat-treated zinc-based alloy

The effect of heat treatment on microstructure, hardness, tensile properties, fracture mode and wear behaviour during lubricated and dry sliding of the zinc-based alloy with 25 wt.%Al was studied. Microstructural investigation and chemical analysis of as-cast and heat-treated specimens, the fracture and worn surfaces, as well as wear debris were performed by scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive spectroscopy. Wear tests were carried out using a disc-on block-type wear machine. By a relatively simple heat treating consisting of a short-term annealing in the single-phase region followed by water-quenching, the elongation has been markedly improved, while the strength was maintained high. The results indicate that the wear rate strongly depends on the microstructure, applied load and sliding conditions. The wear rate increases with load, and under dry sliding conditions the wear rate is approximately two orders of a magnitude higher than under lubricated conditions. During dry sliding the best wear behaviour was displayed by the water-quenched specimens, whereas slowly cooled specimens showed the higher wear rate. Lubrication strongly affects the wear behaviour. Contrary to dry sliding, slowly cooled specimens exhibit the best wear properties under lubricated conditions. The wear mechanisms were proposed for dry and lubricated sliding. An erratum to this article can be found at     

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.     

Sliding wear behaviour of aluminum syntactic foam: A comparison with Al-10 wt% SiC composites

The sliding wear behaviour of cenosphere-filled aluminum syntactic foam (ASF) has been studied in comparison with that of 10 wt% SiC particle reinforced aluminum matrix composite (AMC) at a load of 3 kg and varying sliding speeds under dry and lubricated conditions using a pin-on disc test apparatus. The tribological responses such as the wear rate, the coefficient of friction and the frictional heating were investigated. The wear surfaces and subsurfaces were studied for understanding the wear mechanism. It was noted that the coefficient of friction, the wear rate, and the temperature rise for ASF are less than that for AMC in both dry and lubricated conditions. The craters (vis-à-vis exposed cenospheres) play an important role in the wear mechanism for ASF.     

Tribological Behavior of Composites Based on ZA-27 Alloy Reinforced with Graphite Particles

The objective of this investigation is to assess the influence of graphite reinforcement on tribological behavior of ZA-27 alloy. The composite with 2 wt% of graphite particles was produced by the compocasting procedure. Tribological properties of unreinforced alloy and composite were studied, using block-on-disk tribometer, under dry and lubricated sliding conditions at different specific loads and sliding speeds. The worn surfaces of the samples were examined by the scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The obtained results revealed that ZA-27/graphite composite specimens exhibited significantly lower wear rate and coefficient of friction than the matrix alloy specimens in all the combinations of applied loads (F _n ) and sliding speeds (v) in dry and lubricated tests. The positive tribological effects of graphite reinforcement of ZA-27 in dry sliding tests were provided by the tribo-induced graphite film on the contact surface of composite. In test conditions, characterized by the small graphite content and modest sliding speeds and applied loads, nonuniform tribo-induced graphite films were formed leading to the increase of the friction coefficient and wear rate, with increase of the sliding speed and applied load. In conditions of lubricated sliding, the very fine graphite particles formed in the contact interface mix with the lubricating oil forming the emulsion with improved tribological characteristics. Smeared graphite decreased the negative influence of F _n on tribological response of composites, what is manifested by the mild regime of the boundary lubrication, as well as by realization of the mixed lubrication at lower values of the v/F _n ratio, with respect to the matrix alloy.     

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.     

Sliding wear response of a grey cast iron: Effects of some experimental parameters

This investigation pertains to the influence of some test parameters like applied load, sliding speed and test environment on the sliding wear behaviour of a grey cast iron. Properties studied were wear rate, frictional heating and friction coefficient in dry and oil lubricated conditions. The wear response of the samples has been discussed in terms of specific characteristics like load bearing, lubricating and cracking tendency of different microconstituents of the cast iron. Examination of wear surfaces, subsurface regions and debris particles has also been carried out to understand the operating wear mechanisms and further substantiate the observed response of the samples.     

Influence of roughness parameters and surface texture on friction during sliding of pure lead over 080 M40 steel

In the present investigation, tests were conducted on a tribological couple made of cylindrical lead pin with spherical tip against 080 M40 steel plates of different textures with varying roughness under both dry and lubricated conditions using an inclined pin-on-plate sliding tester. Surface roughness parameters of the steel plates were measured using optical profilometer. The morphologies of the worn surfaces of the pins and the formation of transfer layer on the counter surfaces were observed using a scanning electron microscope. It was observed that the coefficient of friction and the formation of transfer layer depend primarily on the surface texture of hard surfaces. A newly formulated non-dimensional hybrid roughness parameter called ‘ξ’ (a product of number of peaks and maximum profile peak height) of the tool surface plays an important role in determining the frictional behaviour of the surfaces studied. The effect of surfaces texture on coefficient of friction was attributed to the variation of plowing component of friction, which in turn depends on the roughness parameter ‘ξ’.     

A New Roughness Parameter Including Hardness and Contact Frequency Effects on Lubricated Rolling/Sliding Wear

Surface roughness, roughness arrangement, film thickness, material hardness, and run-in process have significant effects on the lubricated rolling/sliding wear of mechanical components such as gears and bearings. In conventional analysis, a film thickness parameter is calculated by a geometric approach to study the wear resistance of a contact system without considering the effects of material hardness and run-in process. Although the conventional parameter is simple, it does not correlate with some experimental observations. In this work, a new roughness parameter is developed for the prediction of lubricated rolling/sliding wear. Surface roughness will be adjusted by its hardness and contact frequency. The calculation results are consistent with four groups of experimental data. It is proved that the conventional models can be derived as a special case of the new model when two contact surfaces have the same properties. The new model can be used in the optimal design and manufacturing of mechanical interfaces to reduce lubricated rolling/sliding wear.     

Contributions of adhesion and hysteresis to coefficient of friction between shoe and floor surfaces: effects of floor roughness and sliding speed

Abstract

Improving shoe–floor friction in order to reduce slip and fall accidents requires thorough understanding of the factors that contribute to friction. The friction between a sliding viscoelastic material (shoe) and a hard surface (floor) has two major components: adhesion and hysteresis. This study aimed to quantify the effects of floor roughness and sliding speed on adhesion and hysteresis to determine how each component contributes to the coefficient of friction. Experiments were conducted on a pin on disc tribometer using ceramic tiles with three levels of roughness, six sliding speeds, two common shoe materials and four liquid lubricants. Hysteresis was measured using a lubricant that minimised adhesion. Dry and lubricated adhesion was measured by subtracting hysteresis from the coefficient of friction. Analysis of variance regression models were used to determine the contributions of hysteresis, dry adhesion, sliding speed and fluid to lubricated coefficient of friction. Increased floor roughness led to increased hysteresis, while increased sliding speed reduced both adhesion and hysteresis. These findings are consistent with theory that states that larger asperities increase hysteretic deformation and that sliding speed affects deformation and real area of contact between a viscoelastic material and a hard surface. The model correctly predicted 83% of variation in coefficient of friction based on dry adhesion, hysteresis and fluid dependent constants. The sensitivity of hysteresis friction to shoe material and floor roughness indicates that optimising these parameters may be effective at reducing slip accidents on oily floor surfaces.     

Coatings tribology—contact mechanisms and surface design

The fundamentals of coating tribology are presented by using a generalised holistic approach to the friction and wear mechanisms of coated surfaces in dry sliding contacts. It is based on a classification of the tribological contact process into macromechanical, micromechanical, nanomechanical and tribochemical contact mechanisms, and material transfer. The important influence of thin tribo- and transfer layers formed during the sliding action is shown. Optimal surface design regarding both friction and wear can be achieved by new multi-layer techniques which can provide properties such as reduced stresses, improved adhesion to the substrate, more flexible coatings and harder and smoother surfaces. The differences between contact mechanisms in dry, water- and oil-lubricated contacts with coated surfaces is illustrated by experimental results from diamond-like coatings sliding against a steel and an alumina ball. The mechanisms of the formation of dry transfer layers, tribolayers and lubricated boundary and reaction films are discussed.     

Wear properties of Saffil/Al,Saffil/Al2O3/Al and Saffil/SiC/Al hybrid metal matrix composites

The purpose of this study is to investigate the wear properties of Saffil/Al, Saffil/Al₂O₃/Al and Saffil/SiC/Al hybrid metal matrix composites (MMCs) fabricated by squeeze casting method. Wear tests were done on a pin-on-disk friction and wear tester under both dry and lubricated conditions. The wear properties of the three composites were evaluated in many respects. The effects of Saffil fibers, Al₂O₃ particles and SiC particles on the wear behavior of the composites were elucidated. Wear mechanisms were analyzed by observing the worn surfaces of the composites. The variation of coefficient of friction (COF) during the wear process was recorded by using a computer. Under dry sliding condition, Saffil/SiC/Al showed the best wear resistance under high temperature and high load, while the wear resistances of Saffil/Al and Saffil/Al₂O₃/Al were very similar. Under dry sliding condition, the dominant wear mechanism was abrasive wear under mild load and room temperature, and the dominant wear mechanism changed to adhesive wear as load or temperature increased. Molten wear occurred at high temperature. Compared with the dry sliding condition, all three composites showed excellent wear resistance when lubricated by liquid paraffin. Under lubricated condition, Saffil/Al showed the best wear resistance among them, and its COF value was the smallest. The dominant wear mechanism of the composites under lubricated condition was microploughing, but microcracking also occurred to them to different extents.     

Sliding wear response of a cast iron under varying test environments and traversal speed and pressure conditions

This study pertains to the examination of sliding wear behaviour of a gray cast iron over a range of sliding speeds and applied pressures in dry and (oil and oil plus graphite) lubricated conditions. Wear properties characterized were wear rate and frictional heating. The cast iron revealed various forms and sizes of graphite particles in a matrix of pearlite and limited quantity of free ferrite. Different solidification patterns, as controlled by the chemical composition and/or carbon equivalent of the alloy and rate of cooling, were thought to be responsible for the varying morphology of the graphite phase formed in the material matrix. Occasional decohesion of graphite at ferrite/graphite interfacial regions was also observed.The wear rate of the cast iron increased with the speed and pressure of sliding due to increasing severity of wear condition. The specimens tended to lose proper contact with the disc at larger pressures when slid dry. This was attributed to severe cracking tendency of the material. On the contrary, specimen seizure was noticed in the oil and oil plus graphite lubricated conditions; the seizure resistance (pressure) decreased with sliding speed in presence of the lubricants. The wear rate versus pressure plots attained different slopes, i.e. the rate of increase in wear rate with pressure, depending on the test environment. One slope and inappreciable effect of pressure on wear rate were noticed due to substantial cracking tendency of the cast iron when tested in dry condition. In the oil lubricated condition also, virtually one slope was observed but it was higher than that in dry condition indicating greater sensitivity of wear rate towards the applied pressure. Also, the samples attained lower wear rate in oil than in dry condition in view of suppressed cracking tendency causing more stable lubricating film formation in presence of the oil lubricant. Addition of graphite particles to the oil lubricant caused a further reduction in wear rate because of the enhanced possibility of a more stable lubricant film formation due to smearing of the graphite particles. In this case, the slope of the wear rate versus pressure plots was the least in the intermediate range of pressures irrespective of the sliding speed owing to more stable lubricating film formation.A higher rate of temperature increase with test duration (intermediate sliding distance) in the beginning was attributed to the abrasive action of the hard debris generated through the fragmentation of the initially contacting asperities. A subsequently observed lower rate of increase at longer durations could be owing to the occurrence of mild wear condition in view of less stressing of the contacting asperities and increased stability of the lubricant film formed. Increase in the rate of frictional heating at still longer durations resulted from destabilization of the lubricating film.Frictional heating increased with applied pressure and sliding speed in view of increasing severity of wear condition. The rate of increase in frictional heating was low initially up to a specific pressure followed by a higher rate of increase at still larger pressures when the tests were conducted in oil plus graphite at both the sliding speeds and in the oil lubricant at the lower speed. A constant (high) rate of increase in frictional heating with pressure was noticed in the dry condition at both the sliding speeds and in the oil lubricant at the higher speed. Low rate of frictional heating with pressure was attributed to the occurrence of mild wear condition while a higher rate of frictional heating with pressure resulted from the occurrence of severe wear condition. As far as the influence of test environment on frictional heating is concerned, least frictional heat was generated in the oil plus graphite lubricant mixture while the maximum was noticed in dry condition, intermediate response of the samples being observed in oil. Formation of more stable lubricating film was thought to be responsible for lower frictional heating in the lubricated conditions; the presence of graphite in the oil lubricant increased the extent of lubricating film formation and stability of the film so formed.The wear response of the samples has been explained in terms of cracking tendency and lubricating effects of graphite, predominance of the counteracting effects of the two parameters over each other, and lubricating film formation by the external oil (plus graphite) lubricant on the sliding surfaces in specific test conditions. Characterization of wear surfaces, subsurface regions and debris particles of the material enabled to further substantiate the observed wear performance of the samples.     

The Use of D-optimal Design for Modeling and Analyzing the Tribological Characteristics of Journal Bearing Materials Lubricated by Nano-Based Biolubricants

Response surface methodology (RSM) based on a D-optimal design was employed to investigate the tribological characteristics of journal bearing materials such as brass, bronze, and copper lubricated by a biolubricant, chemically modified rapeseed oil (CMRO). The wear and friction performance were observed for the bearing materials tested with TiO₂, WS₂, and CuO nanoadditives dispersed in the CMRO. The tests were performed by selecting sliding speed and load as numerical factors and nano-based biolubricant/bearing materials as the categorical factor to evaluate the tribological characteristics such as the coefficient of friction (COF) and specific wear rate. The results showed that RSM based on a D-optimal design was instrumental in the selection of suitable journal bearing materials for a typical system, especially one lubricated by nano-based biolubricant. At a sliding speed of 2.0 m/s and load of 100 N, the bronze bearing material with CMRO containing CuO nanoparticles had the lowest COF and wear rate. In addition, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) examination of the worn bearing surfaces showed that the bronze bearing material lubricated with CMRO containing CuO nanoadditive is smoother than copper/brass bearing material.     

Surface morphology in engineering applications: Influence of roughness on sliding and wear in dry fretting

Influence of initial surface roughness on friction and wear processes under fretting conditions was investigated experimentally. Rough surfaces (Ra=0.15-2.52 μm) were prepared on two materials: carbon alloy (AISI 1034) and titanium alloy (Ti-6Al-4V). Strong influence of initial surface roughness on friction and wear processes is reported for both tested materials. Lower coefficient of friction and increase in wear rate was observed for rough surfaces. Wear activation energy is increasing for smoother surfaces. Lower initial roughness of surface subjected to gross slip fretting can delay activation of wear process and reduce wear rate; however, it can slightly increase the coefficient of friction.     

Roughness and Lubricant Effect on 3D Atomic Asperity Contact

Large-scale molecular dynamics simulations were performed to study the sliding process of rough surfaces with and without lubricant. In the dry contact, a linear relationship has been observed between the load and the contact area for surfaces with large root mean square (RMS) roughness. However, it becomes nonlinear when the RMS is small. In the presence of adhesion, small roughness results in a large friction force when the surfaces are flattened and the contact area reaches 60 %. In order to confirm this observation, nonadhesive models have been established with an observation that under the combined influence from roughness and adhesion, the contact area plays a crucial role to determine whether the dry sliding is under the domination of roughness or adhesion. In the lubricated sliding, an increase in friction force has been found for the partially lubricated condition because the asperity contact still accounts for a great deal of resisting force. Besides, the lubricant exerts a comparable resisting force to the sliding.     

Tribological studies of epoxy and its composite coatings on steel in dry and lubricated sliding

Industrial lubricants are invariably used with additives (with high sulfur and phosphorous contents) for tribological performance enhancement. However, these additives are environmentally very harmful. Hence, there is an urgent need to find alternate solutions for enhancing the tribological performance of lubricants and components without the use of harmful additives. The objective of this work is to investigate the feasibility of using polymer composite coatings in enhancing the tribological properties of steel surfaces in dry and base oil lubricated conditions. Pure epoxy and its composite (with 10?wt-% of graphene or graphite powder) films were coated onto steel substrates and tested under dry and base oil lubricated conditions. Friction and wear experiments were conducted on a ball on cylinder tribometer between polymer/composite coated cylindrical steel surface (shaft) and an uncoated steel ball as the counterface. Tests were conducted at various normal loads and speeds. In dry condition at 3 N load and 0.63?m s^??1 sliding speed, the wear life of epoxy was increased by five times and coefficient of friction was nearly the same (0.18) on inclusion of graphene nanoparticle. In lubricated case, epoxy/graphene composite coating performed eight times and more than five times better than pure epoxy and epoxy/graphite respectively.     

A study on the effect of surface topography on rough friction in roller contact

The friction behaviour of gear teeth in the context of tribology can have a strong effect on housing vibration, noise and efficiency. One of the parameters that greatly influences the friction under certain running conditions is surface roughness. In this work, rough friction was studied in lubricated sliding of roller surfaces, which were manufactured to simulate the real gear surfaces. By examining 3D surface topography of two mating bodies, both surface roughness and its effect on friction behaviour can be studied. In a previous study, a rough-friction test rig has been designed, constructed and initially verified. The types of surfaces involved in this study are ground, shot-peened, phosphated and electrochemically deburred. These rollers were subjected to the same friction testing procedures. Roller surfaces were then examined, and correlation between the topography and the frictional behaviour was analysed. Friction behaviour was interpreted in terms of Stribeck curves (friction coefficient as the function of Hersey parameter (ην/p)). The results showed that electrochemically deburred and certain phosphated surfaces provide lower friction coefficient values which are competitive to fine-ground surfaces in lubricated rolling/sliding contact.     

Investigation into sliding wear performance of zinc-based alloy reinforced with SiC particles in dry and lubricated conditions

The objective of the present investigation was to assess the influence of SiC particle dispersion in the alloy matrix, applied load, and the presence of oil and oil plus graphite lubricants on the wear behaviour of a zinc-based alloy. Sliding wear performance of the zinc-based alloy and its composite containing SiC particles has been investigated in dry and lubricated conditions. Base oil or mixtures of the base oil with different percentages of graphite were used for creating the lubricated conditions. Results show a large improvement in wear resistance of the zinc-based alloy after reinforcement with SiC particles. The lubrication improved the wear resistance and friction behaviour of both the reinforced and base alloys. It was also observed that there exists an optimum concentration of graphite particles in the lubricant mixture that leads to the best wear performance. The composite experienced higher frictional heating and friction coefficient than the matrix alloy in all the cases except oil lubricated conditions; a mixed trend was noticed in the latter case. The wear rate and frictional heating increased with load while friction coefficient was affected in an opposite manner. Test duration influenced the frictional heating and friction coefficient of the samples in a mixed manner.Examination of worn surfaces revealed a change of predominating wear mechanisms from severe ploughing and/or abrasive wear for base alloy to delamination wear for the reinforced material under dry sliding conditions. The presence of the lubricant increased the contribution of adhesive wear component while reducing the severity of abrasion. This was attributed to the generation of more stable lubricant films on the contacting surfaces. Cross-sections of worn surfaces indicated substantial wear-induced plastic deformation, thereby suggesting adhesive wear to be a predominant wear mechanism in this study. The debris particles revealed deformed flakes and machining chips signifying the involvement of adhesion and abrasion modes of wear respectively.