Significance of Dimple Parameters on the Friction of Sliding Surfaces Investigated by Orthogonal Experiments

Surface texturing has proven to be an effective method to improve tribological performance of sliding surfaces. The pattern of microdimples is the most popular surface texture because it is supposed to obtain additional hydrodynamic pressure easily.

In order to evaluate the significance of the dimple parameters, including dimple diameter, depth, and area ratio, to the frictional performance, the dimple patterns with dimple diameter from 50 to 300 μm, dimple depth from 5 to 20 μm, and area ratio from 5 to 20% were manufactured on chromium-coated specimens by through-mask electrochemical micromachining. Experiments were designed using an L ₁₆ (4 ⁵ ) orthogonal array, which contained the above three factors and four levels for each factor. The frictional tests on the above-textured specimens against the specimens of cast iron with oil lubrication were carried out under the contact pressures of 0.2 and 1 MPa and sliding velocities of 0.1 s and 0.5 m/s.

The range analysis showed that the optimum dimple pattern was that with dimple diameter of 100–200 μm, dimple depth of 5–10 μm, and area ratio of 5%, which induced the friction reduction up to 77.6% compared to that of untextured surfaces.

Both the range analysis and analysis of variance suggested that dimple area ratio is the most important parameter influencing friction coefficient under the test condition of this research.     

凹坑织构对石墨材料水润滑性能的影响

为提高核主泵屏蔽电机用水润滑石墨轴承的摩擦润滑性能,采用高速雕铣机在石墨试样表面加工不同形状、深度和面积占有率的凹坑织构,通过水润滑条件下的销盘摩擦试验,测试分析凹坑织构结构参数对石墨材料水润滑性能的影响。结果表明：在水润滑条件下凹坑织构具有一定的减摩效果,随着转速的增加,凹坑织构的动压效应增强,石墨试样摩擦因数减小;随着载荷的增加,石墨试样摩擦因数减小;随着凹坑深径比、面积占有率的增加,石墨试样摩擦因数均呈现先减小后增大的变化趋势,当凹坑深径比为0.5、凹坑面积占有率为3%左右时,石墨试样摩擦因数最小;相较三角形凹坑织构,正方形凹坑和圆形凹坑织构的减摩效果更好。     

Comparison of the effects of surface texture on the surfaces of steel and UHMWPE

Surface texture has been well studied for metals and ceramics. For the tribo-pair consisted of soft and stiff materials, in order to find out which side is better for texturing, friction tests between steel and UHMWPE were performed to evaluate the effect of dimple patterns at different load–speed conditions.At a light load of 100 N, surface texture on either steel or UHMWPE can reduce friction, but their optimum area densities are different. However, at a heavy load of 700 N, only the pattern textured on UHMWPE can effectively reduce friction. Test results are further analyzed in terms of contact stress.     

Investigation of the tribological properties of the different textured DLC coatings under reciprocating lubricated conditions

In this study, we propose the use of laser surface texturing methods to improve the wear resistance of diamond-like-carbon (DLC) coatings. First, the application of dimples perpendicular to an engineering surface is introduced by using laser in a controlled manner. The solid DLC lubricant is subsequently deposited on the textured surface using the magnetron sputtering technique. In the experiments, the dimple densities were varied from 0 to 30%, and the dimple diameters were varied from 40 to 300 μm. The effect of the geometric parameters on the wear performance was studied using a reciprocating sliding-wear tester under oil lubrication conditions. The results showed that the DLC coatings with the appropriate dimple density (10%) and diameter (∼100 μm) demonstrated an obvious improvement in terms of the friction coefficient and wear rate compared with that of the un-textured DLC coatings. The experimental treatment produced respective reductions of 20% in friction and nearly 52% reduction of wear rate. This improvement could be explained by the action of reservoirs that enhance lubricant retention and trap the wear particles during sliding motions. In addition, the relationship between the dimple diameter, the contact width ratio and the wear performance is discussed.     

微织构光固化填充h-BN的巴氏合金表面摩擦学性能

为了提高巴氏合金在油润滑条件下的摩擦学性能,在巴氏合金表面加工凹坑微织构并利用光固化填充方法填充六方氮化硼(h-BN)固体润滑剂,制备出h-BN与表面微织构相结合的复合润滑结构。研究复合润滑结构在油润滑条件下的摩擦学性能及其减摩润滑机制。结果表明：复合润滑结构的摩擦学性能远高于未织构面和纯织构面;当凹坑微织构直径较小时,织构密度为10%～20%时,复合润滑结构摩擦因数较小,而凹坑直径较大时,随着织构密度的增加,复合润滑结构摩擦因数逐渐减小;当织构密度小于20%时,凹坑直径较小的复合润滑结构摩擦因数小,当织构密度达到30%时,随着凹坑直径的增加,复合润滑结构摩擦因数减小。复合润滑结构能够改善巴氏合金表面摩擦学性能,是因为h-BN固体润滑剂的释放在巴氏合金表面形成了固体润滑薄膜,避免了润滑油膜较薄处的巴氏合金表面直接与45钢表面接触,且释放h-BN固体润滑剂后的微织构凹坑可以起到收集磨粒,储存润滑油的作用。     

Effect of geometrical parameters in micro-grooved crosshatch pattern under lubricated sliding friction

Tribological test was carried out using a pin-on-disc geometry with textured SKD11 pin on bearing steel disc, under sliding in paraffin oil. Micro-grooved crosshatch pattern has been fabricated with various angles and widths. The effects of geometrical parameters on friction were mainly examined in mixed and elastohydrodynamic lubrication. The results show that friction control can be achieved by fabricating the micro-grooved crosshatch pattern on a contact surface. It is observed that each geometrical parameter of texture influence on friction, especially decrease of groove aspect ratio and increases of groove sliding length show friction reduction performance. Crucial parameter G_l was proposed for micro-grooved crosshatch texture. The friction mechanism is explained by micro fluid flow with limited theoretical approach.     

A Novel Surface Texture Shape for Directional Friction Control

An experimental study is presented to evaluate the influence of anisotropically shaped textures on the behaviour of sliding friction and sensitivity to sliding direction. The plate samples were textured with triangular sloped dimples using an ultrafast laser surface texturing technique. Reciprocating cylinder-on-plate tests were conducted with steel sliding pairs using mineral base oil as a lubricant to compare the tribological performance of reference non-textured specimen and dimpled samples. The dimples were designed with varying converging angles in the transverse y–z plane and top-view x–y plane. In this study, no dimple was fully covered in the contact area since the dimples size is much larger than the Hertzian line contact width. Stribeck style dynamic friction curves across boundary, mixed and hydrodynamic lubrication regimes were used to determine the benefit or antagonism of texturing. Observation of the directional friction effect of the anisotropic textures indicated that the converging shapes are beneficial for friction reduction, and the dimpled specimens have a lower friction coefficient particular under prevailing boundary lubrication conditions. It was also found that the real contact length variation rate is a major factor controlling the local friction response. The sloped bottoms of the textures produce effective converging wedge action to generate hydrodynamic pressure and contribute to the overall directional friction effects.     

Experimental investigation of tribological performance of laser textured stainless steel rings

A series of experiments is conducted to examine the frictional characteristics of laser surface-textured, heat-treated 17-4 PH stainless steel specimens. Two dimple shapes are tested: circular and elliptical. The circular dimples are designed with different sizes, dimple densities and dimple depth-to-diameter ratios. It is found that the cavitation pressure (P_cav) in a circular dimple is strongly affected by the operational speed. The surface textured specimens provide low coefficient of friction compared with plain (dimple-free) surfaces. However, for the material used in the current experiments, the surface texture decreases the surface's resistance to wear.     

沟槽形表面织构对摩擦噪声的影响

用电加工方法在制动盘蠕墨铸铁材料表面加工出沟槽形表面织构(沟槽深度为30μm、宽度为150μm、间距为500μm),采用球—平面接触方式,选取直径为10mm的Si3N4球为对磨副,对沟槽形织构表面和光滑表面进行了摩擦噪声对比试验,研究了沟槽形表面织构对界面摩擦振动噪声的影响。试验结果表明(以下结论只针对本试验选定尺寸规格的沟槽形表面织构):法向载荷对织构表面产生摩擦噪声强度的影响较小,而对光滑表面产生摩擦噪声的水平具有重要影响;沟槽形织构表面在低法向载荷下较光滑表面更易产生摩擦噪声,但随着法向载荷从5N增大到10N,光滑表面产生的摩擦噪声强度迅速增大并与织构表面的接近;沟槽形表面织构使摩擦系统更易产生多频率的摩擦振动,较早地产生摩擦噪声且其主频率成分较复杂;沟槽形织构表面比光滑表面具有较高的摩擦因数和耐磨性,沟槽形织构的存在明显地改变了接触界面摩擦磨损行为和摩擦噪声特性,但其对应关系需要进一步深入研究。     

Multiscale characteristic lengths of abraded surfaces: Three stages of the grit-size effect

The abrasion mechanisms in polishing titanium-alloy samples with different grades of silicon carbide-coated abrasives were characterized using a novel multiscale analysis of the extreme amplitudes of the peaks and valleys (EAPV) of surface roughness. Two stages of roughness were found: a fractal stage (l∈10-160 μm), where EAPV values versus the observation length l were linked to the fractal dimension D (EAPV∝l^2−D), and a stochastic stage (l>160 μm), where EAPV was modeled by the extreme-value theory, allowing the prediction of EAPV values versus observation length. Three regimes of abrasion were found: for grit particles of diameter d>100 μm, EAPV values did not depend on the observation scale and were consistent with Archard’s model. For particle sizes 10 μm<d<100 μm, the EAPV diminished with d regardless of scale, representing the “grit-size effect”. For particles of diameter d<10 μm, the EAPV dramatically decreased at all scales and was independent of d because of adhesive wear. We show that Regimes one and three were dominated by the valleys due to cutting and adhesive wear, respectively, whereas Regime two (the grit-size effect) was dominated by wear peaks due to clogging and deterioration of the abrasive surface, which led to a lower indentation of the abrasive. This contribution proves that the bifractal characteristic previously observed in abrasion can be explained by a single fractal power law and, above a threshold of l>160 μm, by a cumulative-damage model, with a probability proportional to the length of the sample but always uncorrelated with scale.     

Simulation of piston ring tribology with surface texturing for internal combustion engines

Design of piston rings is a very crucial subject in the field of internal combustion engines. In the present paper, a numerical model is created using the Navier–Stokes equations. Fluid–structure interaction analysis is performed in order to calculate the structural integrity of the ring for several engine operational conditions and texturing patterns. This paper illustrates the hydrodynamic friction force under various surface artificial texturing in terms of spherical and rectangular microdimples. Piston ring stress analysis is also investigated due to gas leakage. Results show a substantial reduction of the friction using rectangular texturing and less reduction using spherical texturing. The rectangular microdimple parameters were considered to obtain a better friction reduction with the following configurations: H_d = 4 µm, ρ_τ = 0.61, λ = 20 and s = 0.004. Each rectangular texture cell is defined by the dimple depth, H_d; the texture density, ρ_τ; the dimple aspect ratio, λ; and the relative dimple depth, s. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Effects of film thickness and contact load on nanotribological properties of sputtered amorphous carbon thin films

The nanotribological properties of amorphous carbon (a-C) films of thickness in the range of 5-85 nm sputtered on Si(1 0 0) substrates were investigated with a surface force microscope (SFM), using a Berkovich diamond tip of nominal radius of curvature approximately equal to 200 nm and contact (normal) loads between 10 and 1200 μN. The dependence of the friction and wear behaviors of the a-C films on normal load and film thickness was studied in terms of nanomechanical properties, images of scratched surfaces, and numerical results obtained from a previous analytical friction model. The increase of the contact load caused the coefficient of friction to decrease initially to a minimum value and, subsequently, to increase to a maximum value, after which, it either remained constant or decreased slightly. The dominant friction mechanism in the low-load range was adhesion, while both adhesion and plowing mechanisms contributed to the friction behavior in the intermediate- and high-load ranges. Thinner (thicker) a-C films yielded higher (lower) friction coefficients for normal loads less than 50 μN (low-load range) and lower (higher) friction coefficients for normal loads greater than 150 μN (high-load range). Elastic and plastic deformation, microcracking, and delamination of the a-C films occurred, depending on the contact load and film thickness ranges. The reduced load-carrying capacity, relatively low effective hardness (strength) obtained with thinner films, and dominant friction and wear mechanisms at each load range illustrate the film thickness and contact load dependence of the nanotribological properties of the sputtered a-C films.     

钛合金疏水表面微坑阵列的掩膜电解加工仿真与分析

为改善钛合金疏水性能,获得较高的接触角,使用掩膜电解技术对钛合金进行了凹坑阵列表面微织构的加工。首先,建立微坑阵列掩膜电解加工的数学模型并进行多物理场耦合仿真;其次,分析掩膜电解加工参数对微坑阵列的作用,并借助润湿理论模型获得微坑阵列的固-液接触面积比;最后,以该面积比为因变量,以电解质质量分数、电解电压和掩膜尺寸为自变量,进行正交试验仿真和极差分析,获得最佳工艺参数组合。与仿真预测值相比,微坑阵列单元体直径、间距、深度、固-液接触面积比和表面接触角的测量值误差均小于8%,从而表明该方法在未经低表面能材料修饰的情况下,成功制备了接触角约为140°的微坑阵列。     

Experimental Investigation into Friction Performance of Dimples Journal Bearing with Phyllotactic Pattern

In this paper, we discuss the developments of a novel dimples journal bearing and the experimental results on friction performance. Based on the phyllotaxis theory of biology, the lubricating dimples were positioned in the internal circle surface of the journal bearing. The effects of phyllotactic pattern parameters on the distribution of these dimples were discussed in detail and simulated. A series of experimental results was presented to examine the effect of phyllotactic coefficients and dimple diameters on the friction characteristics. It was shown that the friction performance of journal bearings can be evidently improved under the proper tested parameters. Meanwhile, the friction coefficients, which are obtained in the dimples journal bearings with phyllotactic pattern and linear pattern, were presented to reveal their differences, and lower values of friction coefficients were achieved for the proposed dimples journal bearing under the tested radial load and rotational speed.     

Friction and wear durability studies on the 3D negative fingerprint and honeycomb textured SU-8 surfaces

The effects of two different textures (a 3D negative fingerprint texture and a honeycomb texture) on the tribological performance of SU-8 polymer surface have been investigated with a ball-on-disc tribometer. Friction and wear behaviors of the textured surfaces are conducted against a 4 mm diameter silicon nitride (Si₃N₄) ball counterface. The coefficient of friction for the negative fingerprint textured surface (μ=∼0.08) is much lower than that of the untextured surface (∼0.2) and the honeycomb textured surface (∼0.41) under a normal load of 100 mN and a rotational speed of 2 rpm. The coefficients of friction of the textured surfaces decrease with increasing normal loads between 100 mN and 300 mN. Above the normal load of 300 mN, the coefficient of friction of the negative fingerprint textured surface increases due to the occurrence of plastic deformation. The honeycomb textured surface has shown the highest coefficient of friction. The wear durability tests are also conducted at a normal load of 100 mN and a rotational speed of 500 rpm on the untextured/textured surfaces on SU-8 in the presence of an overcoat of a nano-lubricant, perfluoropolyether(PFPE). Six samples i.e. the untextured surface (Si/SU-8 and Si/SU-8/PFPE), the 3D negative fingerprint textured surface (Si/SU-8/FP and Si/SU-8/FP/PFPE) and the honeycomb textured surface (Si/SU-8/HC and Si/SU-8/HC/PFPE), each with and without PFPE nano-lubricant, have been investigated for their tribological behaviours. The negative fingerprint pattern on SU-8 with PFPE coating has shown the highest wear life of 60,000 cycles under a normal load of 100 mN. The reasons for excellent tribological performance of 3D fingerprinted SU-8 surface are analyzed using the Hertzian contact area calculation.     

Signature Response for Friction and Wear

An experimental study of signature response for friction and wear is carried out in a triplane ball-on-peg machine under varying load conditions. Photographs of worn roller test specimens at critical temperatures were taken to determine the nature of the wear surface under boundary lubricated conditions. Acoustic response in the beginning and at the point of scuffing has demonstrated a definite trend which follows a similar pattern as that of friction. The experiment was repeated with a combination of steel and brass and with steel and mild steel using as the lubricants hexadecane, MoS₂ and light stock oil. The scuffing load was accompanied by severe wear of the surface. A critical value for friction and that of acoustic response was observed with variations in temperature. Results obtained contribute to the assesment in the change in friction and wear values on sliding surfaces. This help comes from a knowledge of acoustic emission and the known condition of the surface and both components of the pair. The findings of these experimental results and the mode of signature response provides a good scope for further investigations aimed at understanding the mechanism and establishing a method for diagnostic maintenance.     

Numerical investigation of an axi-symmetric laminar jet impinging on a dimpled surface under uniform heat flux using a finite element method

The purpose of this study is to numerically investigate heat transfer and flow field in a semi-confined axi-symmetric laminar air jet impinging on a concave surface, or dimple, with uniform heat flux. A commercial software package relying on the finite element method was used for the simulation, and mesh convergence was examined in order to minimize computational cost. Jet impingement on a flat plate was used as a baseline reference case, and flat plate results were validated against previously published experimental data with good agreement. The effects of various parameters involved in dimple impingement -such as Reynolds number (Re) between 100–1,400; jet-to-plate spacing (H/D_j) ranging from 2 to 6 jet diameters; dimple depths (d/D_d) of 0.1, 0.15, and 0.2; and the ratio of jet diameter and dimple projected diameter (D_j/D_d) from 0.25 to 1—were all studied. Comparisons show that heat transfer reduction occurs in the presence of dimples because of the larger impingement area, which results in less momentum flux. The dimple curvature lifts the post-impinging fluid and creates a backflow, instead of allowing it to maintain contact with the surface, as is the case with flat plate impingement.     

黄铜全流量在线磨粒静电监测实验研究

为深入了解静电监测方法对黄铜的监测能力,采用自制的全流量在线磨粒静电传感器开展黄铜的静电监测方法研究。研究了润滑条件下轴承钢-黄铜滑动摩擦荷电磨粒的产生机理并设计了磨粒静电监测系统,开展了三种尺寸的轴承钢球和黄铜球的单颗粒注入实验、双颗粒注入实验以及相同载荷、不同滑动速度的轴承钢-黄铜滑动摩擦磨损实验,对摩擦因数、静电感应信号、静电信号均方根值进行相关性分析。研究结果表明:全流量在线磨粒静电传感器具有较好的检测一致性;静电监测方法对黄铜的监测能力强于对轴承钢的监测能力;摩擦因数与静电监测信号具有相关性,在磨损阶段,静电感应信号出现脉冲尖峰与持续上升。     

Transition of the lubricated wear of carbon steel

To study the transition of the lubricated wear of 0.53% C steel in the steady state, wear tests were carried out by rubbing the annular surfaces of two cylindrical test pieces in machine oil with no additives. The ratio of mating areas was varied to approach actual contact conditions. Three regions of variation in the coefficient of friction with contact load were determined. Fatigue wear, characterized by a friction coefficient μ ≈ 0.05 and a specific wear rate ω_s ≈ 0.005 × 10^?6 mm³ N^?1 m^?1, occurs in the first region.A transition from fatigue wear to adhesive wear, with μ ≈ 0.05?0.12 and ω_s ≈ (0.005?0.05) × 10^?6 mm³ N^?1 m^?1, takes place gradually within a specific load range. Finally, adhesive wear predominates above the load level that marks the end of the transition. The same behaviour was analysed through stepwise loading tests. The onset of transition and seizure occurs at constant mean surface temperatures. However, the end of transition is also affected by factors other than temperature. The results are compared with the transitions reported by the International Research Group on Wear of Engineering Materials of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.     

钢-钢摩擦副在不同润滑和接触形式下的高温减摩性能的研究

用多功能SRV试验机评价了在干摩擦和油润滑条件下,试验参数对钢-钢摩擦副在点接触和线接触形式下的高温减摩性能的影响。结果表明,在试验范围内,随着试验负荷的增大,钢-钢摩擦副在干摩擦条件下线接触摩擦因数和点接触摩擦因数呈逐渐下降的趋势,这种下降趋势在线接触时尤为明显;但在油润滑条件下,试验负荷的增大对钢-钢摩擦副之间的线接触和点接触摩擦因数的影响不显著。在干摩擦条件下,不论是在点接触还是线接触形式下,试验速度对钢-钢摩擦副之间的高温点接触和线接触摩擦因数的影响并不显著;但在油润滑条件下,试验速度对钢-钢摩擦副的高温线接触和点接触摩擦因数的影响都比较显著,特别是在较高的试验速度时影响更为明显。