Antiwear Properties of Bonded MoS2 Solid Lubricant Coating under Dual-Rotary Fretting Conditions

Bonded MoS₂ solid lubricant coatings are widely used in tribology for their friction-reducing and antiwear properties. However, such coatings have been rarely investigated in complex fretting conditions, such as dual-rotary fretting (DRF). DRF is a complex fretting wear mode that combines torsional fretting with rotational fretting. In this work, the antiwear properties of bonded MoS₂ solid lubricant coating under dual-rotary fretting conditions were studied. Results indicated that the MoS₂ coating had better friction-reducing and antiwear properties than the substrate for alleviating DRF wear. The coating can greatly influence the fretting regimes and reduce the coefficient of friction. Furthermore, the service life of the coating was strongly dependent on the competition of the two fretting components and was reduced as the rotational fretting component increased.     

Elevated Temperature Evaluation of Fretting and Metal Transfer between Coated Titanium Components

During fretting, small amplitude displacements and high normal surface loads combined with abrasive oxide particles cause surface damage that acts as initiation sites for fatigue cracks. Since these conditions are prevalent within the titanium dovetail joints of jet engines a wear mode analysis was performed on extended service jet engine disks and compressor blades. The results of the wear mode analysis indicated that titanium from the uncoated disk was transferred to the softer copper-nickel-indium coated dovetail surface of the blades. This transfer created titanium on titanium contact and eventually fretting wear. In order to simulate these conditions, a moderate displacement (125 μm), low cycle phase followed by a small displacement (25 μm), high cycle fretting phase utilizing a cylinder on flat configuration was developed. The analysis and test procedure developed during this study will ultimately aid in the selection and evaluation of a new coating capable of preventing fretting.     

Development of coatings based on Fe-Cr-Ni-Al for resisting fretting wear in the temperature range 20–700 °C

Previous work by the present workers has indicated that sprayed molybdenum coatings on steel were beneficial in resisting fretting wear in the temperature range 20–300 °C. Beyond this temperature range the oxidation rate of molybdenum increased rapidly and limited its use. Such coatings were mixtures of metal and oxide and provided an elevated temperature “glaze” which appeared to lubricate the surface and to reduce significantly the level of fretting damage. In developing a coating for use over a wider temperature range, mixtures of elements were selected which would provide the possibility of surface glaze formation.Mixtures of Fe-Cr and Ni-Al alloys were arc sprayed onto a low alloy steel and tested under conditions of fretting at 20, 475 and 700 °C. Coatings containing iron and chromium developed a glaze oxide at 475 and 700 °C with resultant low wear. The nickel-based coating did not develop the glaze oxide at 475 °C but did so at 700 °C.     

Fretting behaviour of W-Si coated steels in vacuum environments

This study was focused on the effects of stroke on the fretting behaviour of sputtered W-Si coatings under room and vacuum environments. Fretting tests were carried out with AISI 52100 steel hemispherical ended pin against W-Si coated AISI M2 steel. The tangential force and the applied strokes were monitored during the tests in order to build up the fretting loops. The surface morphology of the wear scars was analysed by optical and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) in order to identify the wear modes and the fretting mechanisms. The shape of the fretting loops was used to characterise the fretting regimes. The formation of adherent films is determinant on the fretting behaviour and depends on the test environment. Electron probe microanalysis (EPMA) was used to analyse the composition of the adherent material and the role of oxides on the formation of the transferred layers. The influence of the coating on the fretting characteristics was discussed comparing coated and uncoated specimens.     

Fretting damage of TiN coated zircaloy-4 tube

Fretting has been reported and investigated for over 50 years. However, it is still one of the modern plagues for several industrial machineries. Especially, fretting of fuel rod cladding material, zircaloy-4 tube, in pressurized water reactor (PWR) must be reduced and avoided. Thin hard coatings are employed to improve the tribological properties such as friction and wear of conventional engineering materials. Among these coatings, physical vapor deposition (PVD) TiN coating is probably one of the most frequently and successfully used PVD coatings for the mitigation of fretting wear. Therefore, in this study a fretting wear experiment was performed using TiN coated zircaloy-4 tube as the fuel rod cladding material and uncoated zircaloy-4 tube as one of the grids. The fretting tester was designed and manufactured for this experiment. The number of cycles, slip amplitude and normal load were selected as main factors of fretting. The type of contact was cylinder-to-cylinder contact. The worn surface was observed by optical microscope, 3-D surface measuring instrument and scanning electron microscope (SEM). The results of this research showed that the wear volume of TiN coated zircaloy-4 tube decreased about 1.2–3 times more than uncoated tube and wear mechanisms were brittle fracture, fatigue fracture, adhesion, abrasion and oxidation.     

High temperature fretting wear behavior of WC-25Co coatings prepared by D-gun spraying on Ti-Al-Zr titanium alloy

Detonation gun (D-gun) spraying is one of the most promising spraying techniques for producing wear-resistance coatings. A thick layer (about 0.3 mm thickness) of WC-25Co with high hardness was covered on Ti-Al-Zr titanium alloy by D-gun spraying and the fretting wear behavior of WC-25Co coatings was studied experimentally on a high precision hydraulic fretting wear test rig. An experimental layout was designed to perform fretting wear tests at elevated temperatures from room temperature (25 °C) to 400 °C in ambient air. In the tests, a sphere (Si₃N₄ ceramic ball) was designed to rub against a plane (Ti-Al-Zr titanium alloy with or without WC-25Co coatings). It was found that the fretting running regimes of WC-25Co coatings were obviously different from those of Ti-Al-Zr titanium alloy. The mixed fretting regime disappeared in WC-25Co coatings, and the boundaries in the running condition fretting map (RCFM) showed hardly any change as temperature increased. The worn scars were examined using a laser confocal scanning microscope (LCSM), scanning electron microscope (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The results showed that the coefficients of friction (COF) of WC-25Co coatings at elevated temperatures were nearly constant in the partial slip regime and very low in the steady state. The fretting damage of the coatings was very slight. In the slip regime, the WC-25Co coatings exhibited a good wear resistance, and the wear volume of the coatings obviously decreased with increasing tested temperature. The fretting wear mechanisms of WC-25Co coatings were delamination, abrasive wear and oxidation wear at elevated temperature. The oxide debris layer formed at higher temperature was denser and thicker on top of WC-25Co coatings, thus providing more surface protection against fretting wear, which played an important role in the low fretting wear of the coatings.     

Development of a friction energy capacity approach to predict the surface coating endurance under complex oscillating sliding conditions

In the case of surface coatings application it is crucial to establish when the substrate is reached to prevent catastrophic consequences. In this study, a model based on local dissipated energy is developed and related to the friction process. Indeed, the friction dissipated energy is a unique parameter that takes into account the major loading variables which are the pressure, sliding distance and the friction coefficient. To illustrate the approach a sphere/plane (Alumina/TiC) contact is studied under gross slip fretting regime. Considering the contact area extension, the wear depth evolution can be predicted from the cumulated dissipated energy density. Nevertheless, some difference is observed between the predicted and detected surface coating endurance. This has been explained by a coating spalling phenomenon observed below a critical residual coating thickness. Introducing an effective wear coating parameter, the coating endurance is better quantified and finally an effective energy density threshold, associated to a friction energy capacity approach, is introduced to rationalize the coating endurance prediction. The surface treatment lifetime is then simply deduced from an energy ratio between this specific energy capacity and a mean energy density dissipated per fretting cycle. The stability of this approach has been validated under constant and variable sliding conditions and illustrated through an Energy Density–Coating Endurance chart.     

Review of engineered tribological interfaces for improved boundary lubrication

Recent advances in smart surface engineering and coating technologies offer unique possibilities for better controlling friction and wear under boundary or marginally lubricated rolling, sliding or rotating contact conditions. Specifically, such coatings can be tailored to meet the increasingly multi-functional application needs of future engine systems by enabling them to operate in lower viscosity oils with reduced sulfur and phosphorous. Using these technologies, researchers have already pioneered the development of a variety of nano-composite and super-hard coatings providing longer tool life in demanding machining and manufacturing applications. The same technologies can also be used in the design and development of novel coating architectures providing lower friction and wear under boundary-lubricated sliding conditions. For example, such coatings can be tailored in a very special way that while one of the phases can favorably react with certain additives in engine oils to result in an ideal chemical boundary film; the other phases can provide super-hardness and hence resists wear and scuffing. Because of their very dense microstructure and high chemical inertness, these coatings can also provide superior protection against oxidation and corrosive attacks in aggressive environments. The use of solid lubricant coatings may also improve the tribological properties of sliding contact interfaces under boundary lubricated sliding conditions. When fluid and boundary films fails or is broken down, such coatings can carry the load and act as a back-up lubricant. Other smart surface technologies such as laser texturing and/or dimpling, laser-glazing and -shotpeening have also become very popular in recent years. In particular, laser texturing of control or coated surfaces have opened up new possibilities for further manipulation of the lubrication regimes in classical Stribeck diagrams. Controlling dimple size, shape, orientation, and density, researchers were able to modify both the width and the height of the boundary lubrication regimes and thus achieve lower friction and wear at sliding and rotating contact interfaces. Overall, smart surface engineering and coating technologies have matured over the years and they now become an integral part of advanced machining and manufacturing applications. They can also be used to meet the increasingly stringent and multi-functional application needs of demanding tribological applications. In this paper, selected examples of recently developed novel surface engineering and coating technologies are introduced, and the fundamental tribological mechanisms that control their friction and wear behavior under boundary lubrication regimes are presented.     

Fretting of WC/a-C:H and Cr2N Coatings Under Grease-Lubricated and Unlubricated Conditions

The fretting phenomenon was investigated experimentally in contacts between coated and uncoated steel rod and ball specimens generating a circular Hertzian contact. A fretting wear test rig equipped with a video camera was used to observe the effects of fretting on coated steel surfaces in both grease-lubricated and unlubricated environments. Tungsten carbide reinforced amorphous hydrocarbon (WC/a-C:H) and chromium nitride (Cr₂N) coatings were tested and compared. Fretting wear volumes and surface profiles are presented for both grease-lubricated and unlubricated conditions. Videos of a coated ball fretting against a transparent sapphire flat were recorded and screen captures are presented. The role of normal load, lubrication, frequency, and amplitude of motion on the fretting wear of coatings is discussed. The lubricant released from the grease was observed to flow through channels in the stick zone of the fretting contacts. Both coatings were found to reduce fretting wear. WC/a-C:H was more effective at reducing wear under unlubricated conditions. WC/a-C:H decreased fretting wear more than Cr₂N when delamination was avoided in grease-lubricated contacts.     

The effect of SiC additives on fretting wear of electroplated NiP coatings

The present work studies the effect of reinforcing additives of submicron-size silicon carbide and thermal treatment on fretting wear of nickel-phosphorus (NiP) electroplated coatings. The tests are conducted under a 500-μm shear of the friction contact. The tribotests show that all coatings under study undergo abrasive-oxidative wear. Thermal treatment is found to reduce the friction coefficient and wear rate of the coatings under fretting, whereas the increased content of the SiC additive leads to increased friction coefficient and wear rate. The annealed NiP coatings have a lower wear rate compared to the composite NiP-SiC coatings.     

Fretting wear characteristics of cold gas-dynamic sprayed aluminum alloys

Process selection for repair of mechanical components due to wear and corrosion, e.g. damage of aluminum casting housings of fuel injection systems, is based on cost and response time factors, provided that the mechanical performance is maintained within acceptable limits. One of the promising and emerging repair technologies is Cold Gas-Dynamic Spray (CGDS) coating, where a high-pressure gas propels fine powder particles to very high velocities to produce surface coating. It is essential to identify the optimum process conditions and powder composition to produce repaired surfaces with tribological properties close to those of the originally manufactured part (without coating). The objective of this work is to compare the dynamic friction and fretting wear properties of the repaired surfaces using various types of coating composition and spraying techniques. Eight types of CGDS coatings, applied to AMS 4260 aluminum specimens, were fretted against 440C stainless steel specimens at low and high nominal loads to assess their fretting wear resistance, dynamic friction properties and damping capacity. The optimum coating composition and process conditions were identified. In comparison to the uncoated specimen, this optimum coating offered tribological characteristics close to the uncoated material and even better dynamic friction properties.     

Fretting corrosion of tin-plated contacts: Evaluation of surface characteristics

The surface characteristics of the contact zone of tin-plated copper alloy contacts subjected to fretting motion for 8000, 16,800 and 48,000 cycles under unlubricated conditions are presented. The nature of the contact zone, at the verge of wearing out of the tin coating as well as upon the coating is completely worn out, is assessed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis and X-ray dot mapping, and the influence of these changes on the contact resistance is correlated. The study reveals that under unlubricated conditions, fretting caused significant damage at the contact zone. Occurrence of adhesive wear failure is observed at early stages whereas at latter stages, delamination wear is the predominant mode of failure. As the fretting cycle increases, the concentration of copper increases whereas the concentration of tin decreases; oxygen concentration though not appreciable at the early stages, starts to build with increase in fretting cycles, attributing to the increase in contact resistance due to the formation of oxides of copper and tin at the contact zone.     

Study of seizure of coated and treated titanium alloy under fretting conditions

Titanium alloys are well known to present poor sliding behaviour and high wear values. Various coatings (soft thick coatings and thin hard coatings) and treatments have been tested to prevent such an occurrence under fretting conditions at high frequency of displacement (100 Hz). An original test apparatus, using an open-loop system, has been performed to directly display the phenomenon of seizure. No seizure was recorded at low load (6 N), while, at higher load (10 N), all samples undergo a more or less early seizure. The total sliding distance D₀ proved to be a pertinent parameter to study the seizure resistance. Furthermore, the results highlight that D₀ is linked to the total energy dissipated in the contact, E_dt, and reveal two distinct behaviours at low load, which suggest two distinct dissipating mechanisms of energy. The first trend can be connected with the plastic deformation and the trapping process of debris within the contact zone occurring on soft coatings. The second trend can be related to the higher debris ejection observed on hard samples. So, soft thick coating satisfies most of the chosen criteria except those of wear. In contrast, thin and hard coatings are not sufficient to totally protect the substrate but they are already able to efficiently reduce wear.     

The use of nickel graphite composite coatings for the mitigation of gross slip fretting wear on Ti6Al4V interfaces

In metallic contacts, surface oxides, adhesion, and material transfer play a primary role in the initial stages of fretting wear degradation. Given this behavior, the focus of this study was to mitigate fretting wear within Ti6Al4V contacts at room temperature and 450 °C with the use of thermally sprayed nickel graphite composite coatings with 5–20% graphite. The results show that the embedded graphite particles reduced the friction of the nickel thermal sprayed coatings during both low and high temperature fretting wear experiments. Friction and wear mechanisms are discussed with correlations of contact chemistry, morphology, and mechanical performance. Wear on the mated Ti6Al4V surfaces was reduced by the formation of uniform transfer films that were identified as graphitic based at room temperature and NiO based at 450 °C.     

Influence of Deposition Positions on Fretting Behaviors of DLC Coating on Ti-6Al-4V

Abstract

The influence of diamond-like carbon (DLC) coating positions—coated flat, coated cylinder, and self-mated coated surface tribopairs—on the fretting behaviors of Ti-6Al-4V were investigated using a fretting wear test rig with a cylinder-on-flat contact. The results indicated that, for tests without coating (Ti-6Al-4V–Ti-6Al-4V contact), the friction (Q_max/P) was high (0.8–1.2), wear volumes were large (0.08–0.1?mm³) under a large displacement amplitude of ±40 µm and small (close to 0) under a small displacement amplitude of ±20 µm, and the wear debris was composed of Ti-6Al-4V flakes and oxidized particles. For tests with the DLC coating, under low load conditions, the DLC coating was not removed or was only partially removed, Q_max/P was low (≤0.2), and the wear volumes were small. Under high load conditions, the coating was entirely removed, Q_max/P was high (0.6–0.8), and the wear volumes were similar to those in tests without coating. The wear debris was composed of DLC particles, Ti-6Al-4V flakes, and oxidized particles. The DLC coating was damaged more severely when deposited on a flat surface than when deposited on a cylindrical surface. The DLC coating was damaged more severely when sliding against a DLC-coated countersurface than when sliding against the Ti-6Al-4V alloy.     

Elevated Temperature Fretting Evaluations Using a Flat-on-Flat Configuration

Traditional fretting tests rely on the high Hertzian stress contacts between a cylinder or sphere and a flat surface to generate oxide particles and an eventual wear scar. However, this configuration does not always match the stresses and wear mechanism associated with parallel surfaces where fretting may only initiate in limited regions of contacting asperities. To simulate these conditions at 175°F, fretting wear tests were used to evaluate the performance of High Velocity Oxy-Fuel (HVOF) and Plasma-sprayed Cu Ni In coatings for the reduction of gross-slip fretting (relative displacements of 100 μm) experienced between mating beta-c titanium bosses and 4340 steel lugs. Scanning electron microscopy was then used to compare the frequency and severity of fretting wear on the titanium blocks. Results of the analysis indicated the viability of the lubricious coatings for eliminating the instances of fretting. Furthermore, the tests indicated the usefulness of the flat-on-flat testing configuration for illuminating the potentially random occurrences of fretting damage between parallel surfaces.     

Friction and wear properties of high-velocity oxygen fuel sprayed WC-17Co coating under rotational fretting conditions

Rotational fretting which exist in many engineering applications has incurred enormous economic loss. Thus, accessible methods are urgently needed to alleviate or eliminate damage by rotational fretting. Surface engineering is an effective approach that is successfully adopted to enhance the ability of components to resist the fretting damage. In this paper, using a high-velocity oxygen fuel sprayed(HVOF) technique WC-17 Co coating is deposited on an LZ50 steel surface to study its properties through Vickers hardness testing, scanning electric microscope(SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy(EDX), and X-ray diffractrometry(XRD). Rotational fretting wear tests are conducted under normal load varied from 10 N to 50 N, and angular displacement amplitudes vary from 0.125° to 1°. Wear scars are examined using SEM, EDX, optical microscopy(OM), and surface topography. The experimental results reveal that the WC-17 Co coating adjusted the boundary between the partial slip regime(PSR) and the slip regime(SR) to the direction of smaller amplitude displacement. As a result, the coefficients of friction are consistently lower than the substrate's coefficients of friction both in the PSR and SR. The damage to the coating in the PSR is very slight. In the SR, the coating exhibits higher debris removal efficiency and load-carrying capacity. The bulge is not found for the coating due to the coating's higher hardness to restrain plastic flow. This research could provide experimental bases for promoting industrial application of WC-17 Co coating in prevention of rotational fretting wear.     

Palliatives in fretting: A dynamical approach

Fretting damages are connected to numerous aspects like friction, wear, contact mechanics, fatigue and material sciences. Its quantification also requests to consider the loading history as well as the sliding condition. Based on a “fretting sliding” approach, and considering fretting wear test conditions, various palliative solutions have been investigated. Shot peening treatment, introducing compressive residual stresses, appears pertinent against crack propagation but ineffective against crack nucleation due to the activation of surface relaxation phenomena. Hard thin coatings present stable residual stresses independently of the sliding conditions. However, they only delay the crack nucleation process, when the coating is worn through, cracking phenomena are activated. To quantify the coating endurance against wear, an energy density approach has been developed. The stability of this approach has been confirmed regarding the contact size effect and illustrated through the analysis of synergic interaction between soft thick coating and solid lubricant.     

Wear-resistant and transparent acrylate-based coating with highly filled nanosilica particles

Hybrid nanocoatings are one of the most attractive topics in nanomaterials which have achieved the transition from fundamental researches to practical applications. In the present study, a urethane–acrylate oligomer was mixed with varied concentrations of nanosilica particle sol, spin-coated onto polycarbonate substrate and finally cured by ultraviolet (UV) rays. The morphology, mechanical properties and wear resistance of the resultant hybrid coatings were systematically investigated. Infrared spectroscopy (IR) analysis was performed to determine the eventual curing extent of the mixtures studied. The transmission electron microscopy (TEM) micrographs revealed almost perfect dispersion of the nanosilica particles within organic matrices, which ensured the excellent transparence of the hybrid coatings. Nanoindentation was further conducted to determine the mechanical properties, i.e. hardness, elastic modulus and their nanoparticle loading dependence. The short-term wear resistance was characterized by a pencil hardness tester. Moreover a universal micro-tribotester (UMT) was applied to investigate the long-term performance. As a result, about 20% decrease in coefficient of friction (COF) was achieved by the coating filled with 40 wt% nanosilica particles, compared to that of the unfilled coating. Under the same fretting test conditions, the wear rate in terms of wear volume of the hybrid coating containing 40 wt% nanoparticles was about 70 times lower than that of the neat coating, confirming the wear-reduction capability of the nanoparticles. The related wear mechanisms were discussed based on worn-surface observations.     

Fretting Wear Behavior of Cu–Al Coating on Ti-6Al-4V Substrate under Dry and Wet (Lubricated) Contact Condition

The fretting wear behavior of Cu–Al coating was investigated with and without fatigue load under the dry and wet (lubricated) contact conditions. The Cu–Al coating was plasma deposited on titanium alloy, Ti-6Al-4V. Fretting regime was determined from the shape of fretting hysteresis loop. Fretting regime changed from partial slip to total (gross) slip at ∼15 μm of the applied relative displacement, and this transition point was independent of fatigue loading and contact surface (lubricated versus dry) conditions. Wet contact condition reduced frictional force during cycling, as evidenced by the lower-tangential force. Wear analysis using the accumulated dissipated energy approach did not show any effect of contact surface condition. In other words, the relationship between the accumulated dissipated energy and wear volume showed a linear relationship, and it was independent of loading and contact surface conditions, as well as of the fretting regime. Further, the relationship between the wear depth and accumulated dissipated energy did not show any effect of loading and contact surface conditions, as well as of the fretting regime up to instant when the maximum wear depth was equal to the coating thickness. The views expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not reflect the official policy or position of the United State Air Force, Department of Defense, or the U.S. Government.