Polyimide Composite Retainer Materials Optimized for Minimal Wear and Film Transfer

To reduce torque and torque noise, the designers of sputtered MoS₂ film-lubricated precision ball bearings must avoid the use of self-lubricating composite retainers which exhibit high wear and film transfer rates. To develop an essentially benign ball separator with minimal, ball pocket wear and polymer transfer film formation, the tribological behavior of two chemically homologous polyimides were optimized by blending with solid lubricant additives, as guided by a Taguchi design of experiments approach. The study employed an L9 fractional factorial lest matrix design with analysis of variance calculations. A fluorinated and a non-fluorinated version of a commercially available polyimide were compounded with two types of powdered solid lubricants, using three levels of filler content. The results of flat-on-flat oscillatory wear tests performed with these composites sliding against 440C bearing steel were analyzed and compared with the wear rates of two commercially available polymeric composite retainer materials. The results of the optimization study indicated that the composite with the lowest wear consisted of the fluorinated Polyimide B filled with 7.5%, by volume, of molybdenum disulfide (MoS₂). Its wear rate was substantially below that of the two commercial retainer materials. Analysis of variance calculations showed that all three factors, i.e., polyimide type, filler type, and filler content, proved to be significant in reducing the wear of these retainer candidates.     

Friction, wear and material transfer of sintered polyimides sliding against various steel and diamond-like carbon coated surfaces

Polyimide cylinders are slid under 50 N normal load and 0.3 m/s sliding velocity against carbon steel (R_a=0.2 and 0.05 μm), high-alloy steel (R_a=0.05 μm), diamond-like carbon (DLC, R_a=0.05 μm) and diamond-like nanocomposite (DLN, R_a=0.05 μm). Only for a limited range of test parameters, the friction of polyimide/DLN is lower than for polyimide/steel, while polyimide shows higher wear rates after sliding against DLN compared to steel counterfaces. The DLN coating shows slight wear scratches, although less severe than on DLC-coatings that are worn through thermal degradation. Therefore, also friction against DLC-coatings is high and unstable. Calculated bulk temperatures for steel and DLN under mild sliding conditions remain below the polyimide transition temperature of 180 °C so that other surface characteristics explain low friction on DLN counterfaces, as surface energy, structural compatibility and transfer behaviour. Friction is initially determined through adhesion and it is demonstrated that higher surface energy provides higher friction. After certain sliding time, different polyimide transfer on each counterface governs the tribological performance. Polyimide and amorphous DLC structures are characterised by C–C bonds, showing high structural compatibility and easy adherence of wear debris on the coating. However, it consists of plate-like transfer particles that act as abrasives and deteriorate the polyimide wear resistance. In sliding experiments with high-alloy steel, wear debris is washed out of the contact zone without formation of a transfer film. Transfer consists of island-like particles for smooth carbon steel and it forms a more homogeneous transfer film on rough carbon steel. The latter thick and protective film is favourable for low wear rates; however, it causes higher friction than smooth counterfaces.     

Tribological Properties and Thermal Stability of Various Types of Polyimide Films

Thermal exposure experiments at 315° and 350°C were conducted on seven different types of polyimide film to determine which was the most thermally stable and adherent. The polyimides were ranked according to the rate of which they lost weight and how well they adhered to the metallic substrate. Friction and wear experiments were conducted at 25°C (room temperature) on films bonded to 440C HT stainless steel. Friction, film wear rates, wear mechanists, and transfer films of the seven films were investigated and compared. The polyimides were found to fall into two groups as far as friction and wear properties were concerned. Group I had lower friction but an order of magnitude higher film wear rate than did group II. The wear mechanism was predominately adhesive, but the size of the wear particles was larger for group I polyimides.     

A predictive test for coin wear in circulation

The circulation wear rates of pure nickel, cupronickel and nickel-plated steel coins were measured. The relative wear rates of nickel and cupronickel coins were compared with those reported in earlier studies and circulation wear data for nickel were used as a reference in laboratory wear tests. A correlation between circulation wear rates and laboratory wear rates formed the basis for a prediction of service life. The surfaces of nickel and nickelbonded steel (N-B-S (registered trademark of Sherritt Gordon Mines Ltd.)) coins were observed to harden both in circulation and in laboratory tests. It was also observed that the laboratory wear rate of N-B-S coins increased as the nickel cladding thickness increased and this effect was attributed to differences in surface hardness.     

A universal wear law for abrasion

Finding a wear law that is valid over a wide range of conditions and materials would have enormous practical value. The authors have previously discovered a simple relationship describing the evolution of the abrasive wear rate of steel sliding against boron carbide-coated coupons, and have developed a model accounting for its kinetics. The authors show here that this wear equation accurately describes the evolution of abrasive wear rates for several additional material pairs and contact conditions that were tested, as well as for all of the material pairs for which literature data could be found. The only material parameters are the initial abrasiveness and the initial rate at which the abrasiveness changes with number of cycles. No other wear law so simple, accurate and widely applicable is known.     

聚酰亚胺复合材料与不同金属间干滑动时的摩擦学性能

采用MPX-2000型摩擦磨损试验机研究了聚四氟乙烯和二硫化钼填充聚酰亚胺复合材料在干滑动摩擦条件下与45钢、镍铬合金、铜和铝对磨时的摩擦磨损性能,并利用扫描电子显微镜和光学显微镜分析了复合材料及对偶件的磨损表面形貌。结果表明:复合材料与铝对磨时的摩擦因数和磨损率最低,分别约为与钢摩擦时的43%和49%;摩擦后铝表面形成均匀连续的转移膜,45钢、镍铬合金和铜的表面没有形成有效转移膜,因此复合材料的摩擦因数较大;复合材料与不同金属材料摩擦时的磨损机理主要是粘着磨损与疲劳磨损。     

Parametric study of solid-lubricant composites as ball-bearing cages

The performance of two polymer-based materials (polyimide/MoS₂ and ptfe/ glass fibre/MoS₂) as self-lubricating cages for ball bearings has been comprehensively evaluated. The two composites emerged as the most promising for operating at elevated temperatures during screening tests in a thrust-bearing geometry and were then tested in four sizes of 440C stainless steel single-row radial ball bearings at a range of loads, speeds and temperatures.Two regimes of operation were observed: the first with essentially zero steel wear when the lubricant transfer film is complete and bearing life is dictated by cage wear; the second with finite steel wear when the transfer film is only partially effective and bearing life is dictated by increase in internal clearance. The ball/raceway stress at which steel wear starts to occur is very low (< 1.2 × 10³ MN m^?2) compared to the stress implied by the catalogue load capacity of the bearings. The ball/raceway stress also has an important effect on both steel wear rate and cage wear rate.Overall, the ptfe-based composite gave lower steel and cage wear than did the polyimide-based composite, but the latter could be operated at higher temperatures (up to 360° C) and at slow speeds it gave a higher load capacity before the onset of steel wear.Using the wear results as a basis, a Bearing Performance Guide has been produced which provides a convenient means of approximately predicting the bearing life over a wide range of operating conditions     

Friction and Wear Behaviors of Several Polymers Sliding Against GCr15 and 316 Steel Under the Lubrication of Sea Water

Ocean tribology, a new research field of tribology, is currently being established and developed. The tribological behaviors of polyether ether ketone (PEEK), poly(phenyl p-hydroxybenzoate) (PHBA), polyimide (PI), and perfluoroethylene propylene copolymer (FEP) sliding against GCr15 and 316 steel rings under the lubrication of sea water were studied and compared with that under the lubrication of pure water. The results show that the friction and wear behaviors of a polymer under the lubrication of aqueous medium are not only related to the properties of polymer itself, but also to the corrosive effect and lubricating effect of the medium. When a polymer slid against GCr15 steel under sea water lubrication, the friction coefficient and wear rate of polymer were much larger than that under pure water lubrication because of indirect corrosive wear. However, when sliding against corrosion-resistant 316 steel, polymers PEEK, FEP, and PI exhibited lower coefficients of friction and wear rates under sea water lubrication, this was attributed to better lubricating effect of sea water as a result of the deposition of CaCO₃ and Mg(OH)₂ on the counterface. On the contrary, the friction coefficient and wear rate of PHBA sliding against 316 steel under sea water lubrication were larger than that under pure water lubrication, which may be related to the properties of PHBA itself.     

Abrasion of 0.85% C-Steel under Natural Hawaiian Marine Conditions

A study was undertaken to obtain design data for possible damage scenarios for a planned deep-sea power cable between two Hawaiian islands. The combined results for abrasion and corrosion-erosion of cold drawn 0.85% C-steel armor wire in seawater against seabottom rocks indicate that failure of the proposed design in the desired design life due to these mechanisms is of only intermediate probability. The results also have some general applicability to abrasive wear by and of natural media. The steel and the rock wear simultaneously, with the rock wearing about 150 times faster than the steel. The results can be explained by considering the armor wire as a hard tool causing wear of the rock while abrasion of the steel is caused solely by the hard olivine grains which constitute 6 percent of the rock. Both adjusted wear rates are comparable to laboratory data on abrasion by hard abrasives.     

Geometrical Aspects of the Tribological Properties of Graphite Fiber Reinforced Polyimide Composites

A Latin-square statistical experimental test design was used to evaluate the effect of temperature, load, and sliding speed on the tribological properties of graphite fiber reinforced polyimide (GFRPI) composite specimens. Hemispherically tipped composite riders were slid against 440C HT stainless steel disks. Comparisons were made to previous studies in which hemispherically tipped 400C HT stainless steel riders were slid against GFRPI composite disks and to studies in which GFRPI was used as a liner in plain spherical bearings. The results indicate that sliding surface geometry is especially important, in that different geometrics can give completely different friction and wear results. Load, temperature, and sliding distance were found to influence the friction and wear results but sliding speed was found to have little effect. Experiments on GFRPI riders with 10 weight percent additions of graphite fluoride showed that this addition had no effect on friction and wear.     

Microstructure of PTFE-Based Polymer Blends and Their Tribological Behaviors Under Aqueous Environment

Four polytetrafluoroethylene-based polymer blends (PTFE blends) with polyimide (PI), polyether ether ketone (PEEK), poly(phenyl p-hydroxybenzoate) (PHBA), and perfluoroethylene propylene copolymer (FEP) were prepared by compression molding and follow-up sintering. Their microstructure was observed by scanning electron microscope. And the tribological behaviors of PTFE blends sliding against 316 steel under pure water and sea water lubrication were comparatively evaluated using block-on-ring tribology test rig. The worn surface of counterpart was examined by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The results showed that by blending with the four polymers, PTFE exhibited the transformed microstructure and improved wear resistance. Compared with FEP, rigid polymers PI, PHBA, and PEEK can enhance the wear resistance of PTFE greatly because they can effectively improve the load-carrying capacity of PTFE matrix and can more efficiently prevent the crystalline bands of PTFE from being pulled out. However, because of the weak inhibition on the pulling out of PTFE crystalline bands, FEP cannot enhance the wear resistance of PTFE as significantly as other polymers. In addition, the friction coefficients and wear rates of PTFE and its blends were lower under the lubrication of sea water than under the lubrication of pure water, which was ascribed to more excellent lubricating effect of sea water originating from the deposition of CaCO₃ and Mg(OH)₂ onto the sliding surfaces.     

Study of abrasive wear phenomena in dry and slurry 3-body conditions

Machinery and equipment used in abrasive environments, such as the mining industry, suffer from severe wear. In order to understand wear and to prolong the life time of the machinery, it is important to understand how materials respond to wear depending on the environmental and tribological conditions imposed.This paper exposes a comparative study between the influence of two abrasive environments (dry and slurry) on hard particle coatings and steels. To study this, the 3-body wear behaviour was evaluated in a dry environment using a continuous abrasion test (CAT) and in a slurry environment using a slurry steel wheel abrasion test (SSWAT) method. Both tests are capable of experimentally modelling the high stress wear at 45 N and 216 N, using quartz sand as an abrasive. The tests were performed on two types of coatings processed by sintering and hardfacing and martensitic steel was used as a reference. The wear was indicated as volume loss by measuring the samples before and after the tests. Furthermore, the specific wear energy was calculated in order to have a fundamental understanding about the material's response to wear. A correlation between the wear rate and the particle brakeage index (PBI) was done for the dry conditions using different loads, in order to explain the interdependence between the two parameters and the change in the wear mechanism between the two loads. The influence of load on the wear of the materials showed different wear mechanisms on coatings compared to the steel in the same environmental conditions. However, a change in wear mechanism at different load levels was observed, which might be directly dependent on the change of the particle's motion from sliding to rolling combined with the change in their shape and size. The results showed that the need to study the influence of different abrasive conditions on the material wear is crucial in order to improve the lifetime and the cost efficiency of the machinery used in such environments. The hard-particle coatings showed comparatively low wear rates promising a great potential in improving the lifetime of industrial equipments in different environments.     

A Functional Form for Wear Depth of a Ball and a Flat Surface

Formulae are derived from first principles which predict the wear depth of a ball and a flat surface through time as they slide against each other, in relation to any phenomenological law for wear volume, and taking into account the effect of component geometry. The equations can be fit using experimental wear volume data from ball-on-flat tribometers. The formulae remove previous limiting approximations made in the literature and extend to the prediction of the wear depth of both contacting surfaces. The wear model accords with a previous model that is validated by pin-on-disc testing of a steel/steel contact. The current paper uses the formulae derived to predict the wear depth of a diamond-like carbon (DLC) coating and a steel ball as they slide against each other in deionised water. An Archard equation is used to predict the wear volume of each surface; however, a DLC coating is known to form a transfer layer which reduces the rate of wear, and since this scenario does not obey Archard’s law directly, a time-dependent-specific wear rate is used to fit a semi-empirical model to experimental results. The final model predicts the wear depth of the ball and flat accurately.     

The influence of strain hardening on steel erosion wear studied by analytical modelling of impeller testing

ABSTRACT

Abrasive wear of steel is a common problem in the mining industry. It was tackled by many researches using analytical and numerical approaches. Despite the advantages of the analytical models to provide quick and elegant solutions, they were derived using several assumptions limiting their applicability, such as e.g. rigid-plastic flow. However, the consideration of strain hardening during impact is crucial to depict a real behaviour of tool material, which changes its mechanical properties during collision. In this research, a new analytical model is invented describing the impact of steel plate with a solid rock, while the material of the steel plate is hardening during penetration and scratching. The model provides a frame of analytical equations based on the second Newton law and equations of motion in vertical and horizontal directions. The motion in vertical direction is considered as an indentation problem and the motion in the horizontal direction as a scratch problem. This model incorporates the most general Holloman representation of strain-hardening law to capture the relationship between microstructural characteristics of steels and wear resistance. It was shown that the indentation depth, the pile-up height, length of the scratch and erosion ratio directly dependant on the strain-hardening parameters in Holloman equation. The model predicts the maximum indentation depth and scratch length as a function of strength coefficient and strain hardening exponent, but also of impact angle, mass of the rock, position of impact at the surface of steel plate and coefficient of friction during metal movement. The model was tested qualitatively by comparison with impeller-tumbler experiments using different steel plates. The solution obtained from this model could be used for quick and easy evaluation of the steel for mining tools in an industrial environment.     

Wear behaviour of carbon nanotube reinforced epoxy resin composites

This paper deals with the effect of a multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) reinforcement on the wear behaviour of Epoxy (EP) composites. Firstly, various dispersion methods were compared. Secondly, the optimum CNT amount was evaluated. In a third step, dry lubricants were added to the optimised EP/CNT composite. Finally, the influence of the steel counterpart (martensitic bearing steel 100Cr6 and austenitic stainless steel X5CrNi18-10) was studied. The preparation method was found to have a decisive effect on the wear behaviour of the composite. A pre-treatment of the CNTs in concentrated nitric acid proved beneficial. Even more important was the mixing method. A dual asymmetric centrifuge delivered so good wear results that the pre-treatment could be skipped. The optimum CNT content was at about 1 wt%, regardless of the preparation method. The lowest wear rates were found after addition of 10 wt% graphite. MoS₂ proved to be less effective and Polytetrafluorethylene (PTFE) even increased the wear. The wear rates against the unalloyed martensitic steel were far higher than against austenitic stainless steel.     

Hot shearing processes: Correlation of numerical simulation with real wear phenomena

Metal sheet shearing is a necessary procedure for dimensional control during steel forming. Due to extreme operating conditions, shearing blades suffer from severe wear and need frequent repair, causing high maintenance costs. In order to increase the lifetime of cutting blades, FEM simulation of the metal shearing process was performed, implementing a hybrid friction coefficient based on data obtained from a newly developed forming tribometer. A good correlation was found between the shape of the sheared work piece as predicted by the FEM model and as found in the real application. Finally, a relationship is proposed between stress and temperature distributions as calculated by the simulation and shearing blade areas most affected by wear.     

Correlation between adhesion and wear behaviour of commercial carbon based coating

Adhesion and wear behaviour of hard coatings are two important properties that concern researchers. We need to use different tests to obtain these two values and the correlation between adhesion and wear is not always obvious. The purpose of this paper is to find the relationship between the wear rate and the critical load for commercial hard coatings.Commercial carbon based coatings were deposited on M42 high speed steel by magnetron sputtering. Different lengths of pre-sputtering time were used to change the properties of the coatings. Single pass scratch tests and multi-pass bidirectional wear tests were used to obtain the critical load and wear rate values, respectively. Results showed that there was a correlation between wear and adhesion. It was found that adhesion increases, and wear rate decreases when the pre-sputtering time increases. It was also observed that adhesion strength varies with pre-sputtering time in a step function manner. To a large extent, the adhesion behaviour is related to the wear behaviour as far as the commercial carbon based coating is concerned. However, as different coatings have different microstructure and properties, further work should be done to decide whether a similar relationship can be applied in other cases.     

The use of post‐mortem Raman spectroscopy in explaining friction and wear behaviour of sintered polyimide at high temperature

Due to their thermal stability and high strength, polyimides are an aromatic type of polymer that is used in sliding equipment functioning under high loads and elevated temperature. However, its tribological behaviour under high temperature and atmospheric conditions is not fully understood. It has been reported that a transition from high towards lower friction occurs ‘somewhere’ in the temperature region between 100°C and 200°C; however, a correlation with changes in the polyimide molecular structure remains difficult to illustrate and it is not certain whether or not this transition is correlated to lower wear. In the present work sliding experiments under controlled bulk temperatures between 100°C and 260°C are performed. A transition is observed in both friction and wear at 180°C which is further explained by microscopic analysis of the transfer film on the steel counterface and Raman spectroscopy of the worn polymer surfaces. A close examination of the spectra reveals transitions in relative intensity of certain absorption bands, pointing to different orientation effects of the molecular conformation at the polymer sliding surface at 180°C. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Comportement sous ultra-vide de matériaux auto-lubrifiants chargés en fluorure de graphite (The ultra-high-vacuum behaviour of graphite fluoride filled self-lubricating materials)

Self-lubricating materials were obtained when graphite fluoride, (CF_x)_n, was introduced into a polyimide matrix. Tests have been undertaken to evaluate the wear rate and coefficient of friction of these materials using stainless steel as a counterface, with medium loads of 1–10 N and speeds of 0.4 and 0.8 m s^?1. In ambient air, the specific wear rate was found to be very low being about 0.7 × 10^?7 mm³ N^?1 m^?1, and in ultra-high vacuum (10^?8–10^?9 Torr) the wear rate still remained low. Thus materials containing (CF_x)_n appear to behave quite differently in vacuum in comparison to graphite powder or carbon fibre-filled polymers, for which specific wear rates 100 and 400 times greater, respectively, have been observed.     

Analysis of wear statistics for polymer composites

The wear rate of polymeric short-fibre composites has been analysed by means of a wear lifetime model using a statistical methodology. The wear lifetime model of a power law relationship has been derived from fracture mechanics concepts and the observed wear-induced microstructures. Experimental wear data have been correlated with the model.