Tribological behavior of poly (phenyl p-hydroxybenzoate)/polytetrafluoroethylene composites filled with hexagonal boron nitride under dry sliding condition

The sliding friction and wear behavior of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) composites filled with poly (phenyl p-hydroxybenzoate) (PHBA) and hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) was investigated with a pin-on-disc tester. The tensile properties, ball indentation hardness, impact strength and thermal diffusivity were measured. The test results in this paper indicate that the tensile strength, elongation at break, and impact strength decreased, however, the ball indentation hardness and thermal diffusivity were increased when the content of h-BN was increased. PTFE composites filled with 20 wt% PHBA and 20 wt% h-BN exhibited a comparative friction coefficient to pure PTFE. Meantime, the wear rate of the composite decreased about 15 times compared to pure PTFE. The synergistic effect of h-BN with low friction and PHBA with high bearing ability promoted the low friction coefficient and wear rate of h-BN/PHBA/PTFE composites.     

Tribological properties of solid lubricants filled glass fiber reinforced polyamide 6 composites

The main purpose of this paper is to further optimize the tribological properties of the glass fiber reinforced PA6 (GF/PA6,15/85 by weight) for high performance friction materials using single or combinative solid lubricants such as Polytetrafluroethylene (PTFE), ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) and the combination of both of them. Various polymer blends, where GF/PA6 acts as the polymer matrix and solid lubricants as the dispersed phase were prepared by injection molding. The tribological properties of these materials and the synergism as a result of the incorporation of both PTFE and UHMWPE were investigated. The results showed that, at a load of 40 N and a velocity of 200 rpm, PTFE was effective in improving the tribological capabilities of matrix material. On the contrary, UHMWPE was not conductive to maintain the structure integrity of GF/PA6 composite and harmful to the friction and wear properties. The combination of PTFE and UHMWPE showed synergism on further reducing the friction coefficient of the composites filled with either PTFE or UHMWPE only. Effects of load and velocity on tribological behavior were also discussed. To further understand the wear mechanism, the worn surfaces were examined by scanning electron microscopy.     

Friction and wear behavior of polytetrafluoroethene composites filled with Ti3SiC2

In this work, polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) composites filled with Ti₃SiC₂ or graphite were prepared through powder metallurgy. The effects of different filling components, loads and sliding velocities on the friction performance of Ti₃SiC₂/PTFE composites were studied. Ti₃SiC₂/PTFE composites exhibit better wear resistance than graphite/PTFE composites due to the better mechanical properties of Ti₃SiC₂. The wear resistance was found to improve around 100× over unfilled PTFE with the addition of 1 wt.% Ti₃SiC₂. In addition, the 10 wt.% sample had the lowest wear rate of K = 2.1 × 10⁻⁶ mm³/Nm and the lowest steady friction coefficient with μ = 0.155 at the condition of 90 N–0.4 m/s. Ti₃SiC₂ was proved to promote the formation of a thin and uniform transfer film on counterpart surface and a protection oxide film on worn surface, which are the key roles for improving wear resistance.     

An investigation on the tribological behavior of AZ91 and AZ91 + 3 wt% RE magnesium alloys at elevated temperatures

The wear behavior of AZ91 and AZ91 + 3 wt% RE magnesium alloys was investigated under a normal load of 20 N at the wear testing temperatures of 25–250 °C and sliding speeds of 0.4 and 1 m s⁻¹. As the sliding speed increased from 0.4 to 1 m s⁻¹ at the wear temperature of 25 °C, the wear rates of AZ91 and AZ91 + 3 wt% RE alloys decreased by about 8% and 60%, respectively. With an increase in the wear temperature to 100 °C, the wear rate of AZ91 alloy was reduced by 58% at a sliding speed of 0.4 m s⁻¹, while the wear rate was sharply increased at a sliding speed of 1 m s⁻¹. At higher wear temperatures, the wear of the AZ91 alloy at both sliding speeds soared as a result of the softening of β-Mg₁₇Al₁₂ phase. However, the wear rate of AZ91 + 3 wt% RE alloy showed a minimum at the wear temperatures of 100 and 200 °C at sliding speeds of 1 and 0.4 m s⁻¹, respectively. Superior wear behavior of AZ91 + 3 wt% RE at the elevated temperatures could be attributed to its higher thermal stability and strength. Furthermore, a rise in sliding speed led to a 55% reduction in the wear rate of AZ91 + 3 wt% RE alloy at the wear temperature of 100 °C due to the formation of stable oxide layers on the wear surface.     

The roles of nano-SiO2 particles on the tribological behavior of short carbon fiber reinforced PEEK

In the present work, the roles of low-loading (1 vol.%) nano-SiO₂ particles (13 nm) on the tribological behavior of short carbon fiber (SCF)/PTFE/graphite (micro-sized) filled PEEK were investigated. Tribological tests were carried out at room temperature in extremely wide pressure and sliding velocity ranges, i.e. from 1 MPa to 7 MPa and from 1 m/s to 2 m/s, respectively. Under all conditions studied, the nanopartilces remarkably reduce the friction coefficients. With respect to the wear rates, however, the roles of the nanoparticles show a strong dependence on the sliding conditions. Under 1 MPa, the abrasiveness exerted by possible nano-SiO₂ agglomerates seems to accelerate SCF destructions. Under pressures higher than 2 MPa, however, the nanoparticles remarkably reduce the wear rate. This effect is more pronounced under high pressures and especially at high sliding velocities. The protection of SCF/matrix interface by the nanoparticles is supposed to be the main reason for the enhancement of the wear resistance.     

Surface structural changes,surface energy and antiwear properties of polytetrafluoroethylene induced by proton irradiation

In this work, the polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) surface was modified with 25 keV proton beam irradiation in vacuum condition. Multiple characterization techniques including X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy and infrared spectroscopy were employed for research on microstructure changes in the PTFE surface. The changes in the surface energy and antiwear properties of PTFE were evaluated using contact angle analysis and a ball-on-disk tribometer, respectively. Experimental results showed that the surface energy of PTFE obviously increased from 13.17 mJ/m² to 33.73 mJ/m² and the wear rate decreased from 8.9 × 10^− 3 mm³/Nm to 5.8 × 10^− 4 mm³/Nm after proton irradiation for 15 min. Moreover, TRIM simulation indicated that the H⁺ ions cannot penetrate through the PTFE block and only stop at a depth of about 730 nm from the material surface. Proton irradiation has been proved to be a simple, rapid and effective measure for the surface modification of PTFE with distinctly improved surface energy and antiwear properties, and the possible reaction mechanism taking place in PTFE was also discussed in this paper.     

Effect of ionic liquid on the structure and tribological properties of polycarbonate–zinc oxide nanodispersion

Room-temperature ionic liquid (IL) 1-hexyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate has been added to PC + 0.5 wt.%ZnO nanocomposite in a 1.5 wt.% proportion to obtain PC + 0.5%ZnO + 1.5%IL. The new PC/ZnO/IL nanocomposite shows a 80% friction reduction and a wear reduction of nearly two orders of magnitude with respect to PC + 0.5%ZnO. The influence of IL on the size, morphology and distribution of ZnO nanoparticles in the PC matrix is discussed on the basis of scanning (SEM) and transmission (TEM) electronic microscopic observations and energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis.     

Self-lubricating properties of PTFE/serpentine nanocomposite against steel at different loads and sliding velocities

The influences of normal contact pressure and sliding velocity on self-lubricating property of PTFE-based composite filled with nano-serpentine particles were mainly studied in the range of 0.12–0.96 m/s and 1.43–8.55 MPa. For comparison, the friction and wear experiments of pure PTFE also were carried out under the same conditions. A scanning electron microscope (SEM) and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) were employed to examine the worn surfaces of PTFE/serpentine nanocomposite and transfer films. The experimental results showed that normal contact pressure and sliding velocity had significant effects on the tribological performances of PTFE/serpentine composite. Under different loads, the nanocomposite suffered from abrasive wear, fatigue wear and adhesive wear successively. And at different sliding velocity, the main wear mechanisms were abrasive wear and adhesive wear. SEM and EDS analyses indicated that the continuous and uniform transfer film generated on counterfaces acted as a solid lubricant, which was important to improve the self-lubricating property of PTFE/serpentine nanocomposite.     

The effects of various reinforcements on dry sliding wear behaviour of AA 6061 nanocomposites

The present work aims to investigate the dry sliding wear behaviour of AA 6061 nanocomposites reinforced with various nanolevel reinforcements, such as titanium carbide (TiC), gamma phase alumina (γ-Al₂O₃) and hybrid (TiC + Al₂O₃) nanoparticles with two weight percentages (wt.%) prepared by 30 h of mechanical alloying (MA). The tests were performed using a pin-on-disk wear tester by sliding these pin specimens at sliding speeds of 0.6, 0.9 and 1.2 m/s against an oil-hardened non-shrinking (OHNS) steel disk at room temperature. Wear tests were conducted for normal loads of 5, 7 and 10 N at different sliding speeds at room temperature. The variations of the friction coefficient and the wear rate with the sliding distances (500 m, 1000 m and 1600 m) for different normal loads and sliding velocities were plotted and investigated. To observe the wear characteristics and to investigate the wear mechanism, the morphologies of the worn surfaces were analysed using a scanning electron microscope (SEM). The formation of an oxide layer on the worn surface was examined by energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). The wear rate was found to increase with the load and sliding velocity for all prepared nanocomposites. Hybrid (TiC + Al₂O₃) reinforced AA 6061 nanocomposites had lower wear rates and friction coefficients compared with TiC and Al₂O₃ reinforced AA 6061 nanocomposites.     

Effects of warm rolling and ageing after cryogenic rolling on mechanical properties and microstructure of Al 6061 alloy

The mechanical properties and microstructural evolution of Al 6061 alloy subjected to cryorolling and warm rolling have been investigated in the present work. The Al 6061 alloy was subjected to thickness reduction of 70% by cryorolling followed by thickness reduction of 20% by warm rolling. The cryorolled + warmrolled (CR + WR) samples were characterized by Electron back scattered diffraction (EBSD) technique, Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), X-Ray diffraction (XRD) analysis and Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) technique to substantiate the role of deformation strain and temperature on their microstructural features and compared with cryorolled (CR) samples. The CR + WR samples showed a significant improvement in tensile strength (376 MPa) and partial improvement in ductility (5%) as measured from tensile testing. It is mainly due to the combined effect of partial grain refinement, solid solution strengthening, dislocation hardening, dynamic recovery, and dynamic ageing during cryorolling and warm rolling. The effect of ageing on CR + WR samples was investigated and the optimum ageing condition was found to be 45 h at 125 °C, which gives improved tensile strength of (406 MPa) and good tensile ductility (10%). The tensile strength of cryorolled + warm rolled + peak aged (CR + WR + PA) sample (406 MPa) was found to be 11.2% more than that of cryorolled + peak aged (CR + PA) sample (365 MPa). During peak ageing treatment, the strength has been retained by pinning of dislocations through nanosized precipitates generated during warm rolling and it has been improved further by precipitation of the remnant dissolved second phase in the matrix. However, the observed ductility of CR + PA sample was 13% more than CR + WR + PA sample due to low dislocation density after ageing.     

Tribological behavior of NiTi alloy against 52100 steel and WC at elevated temperatures

The dry tribological behavior of a Ti–50.3 at.% Ni alloy at temperatures of 25 °C, 50 °C and 200 °C was studied. The wear tests were performed on a high temperature pin-on-disk tribometer using 52100 steel and tungsten carbide pins. The worn surfaces of the NiTi alloy were examined by scanning electron microscope. The results showed that in the wear tests involving steel pins, the wear rate of the NiTi decreased as the wear testing temperature was increased. However, for the NiTi/WC contact, a reverse trend was observed. There was also a large decrease in the coefficient of friction for the NiTi/steel contact with increasing wear testing temperature. The formation of compact tribological layers could be the main reason for the reduction of the wear rate and coefficient of friction of the NiTi/steel contact at higher wear testing temperatures.     

Evaluation on tribological design coatings of Al2O3, Ni–P–PTFE and MoS2 on aluminium alloy 7075 under oil lubrication

The current work evaluated the friction and wear properties of tribological design surface coatings on aluminium alloy 7075 under various speed and nominal contact pressure. Hard-anodized Aluminium Oxide (Al₂O₃), burnished Refractory Metal Sulfide (MoS₂) and composite electroless nickel coatings with polytetrafluoroethylene (Ni–P–PTFE) particles were subjected to pin-on-disc sliding test against grey cast iron (GCI) under Mach 5 SL SAE 10 W-30 lubrication. The results indicated that Ni–P–PTFE composite coating possessed excellent friction–reduction capability but limited wear resistance due to low mechanical strength. Al₂O₃ coated sample showed outstanding wear resistance with high friction characteristic leading to high surface contact temperature. Furthermore, MoS₂ coating improved the wear resistance of the aluminium alloy.     

Dry sliding wear behavior of aluminum based hybrid composites with graphite nanofiber–alumina fiber

The wear behavior of aluminum based hybrid composites reinforced with graphite nanofiber (GNF) and alumina short fiber (Al₂O_3sf) in different volume fraction of fibers (10%, 15% and 20%) was studied under dry sliding conditions. The Taguchi approach to experimental design was used to identify those testing parameters that have the largest effects on wear loss and coefficient of friction of the composites. Sliding distance was found to be the prominent parameter affecting wear loss; applied load affected coefficient of friction most significantly. The results of Taguchi analysis indicate that wear loss increases with increasing load and sliding distance, but it is reduced with increasing sliding speed. Coefficient of friction decreases with increasing applied load and sliding speed whereas it increases with increasing sliding distance. The composites with 10 vol.% and 15 vol.% of fiber had the lowest wear loss and friction because of the mixture effect of GNFs and Al₂O_3sf. However, due to the effect of agglomerated GNFs, there was an increase in wear loss and friction at 20 vol.%.     

Reciprocating sliding wear behavior of alendronate sodium-loaded UHMWPE under different tribological conditions

The aim of this study is to investigate the tribological behaviors and wear mechanisms of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) loaded with alendronate sodium (ALN), a potential drug to treat osteolysis, under different normal loads and lubrication conditions. A mixture of UHMWPE powder and ALN (1.0 wt.%) solution was dried and hot pressed. The static and dynamic friction coefficients of UHMWPE–ALN were slightly higher than those of UHMWPE except under normal load as 10 N and in 25 v/v % calf serum. The specific wear rates of UHMWPE–ALN and UHMWPE were the lowest in 25 v/v % calf serum compared to those in deionized water or physiological saline. In particular, the specific wear rate of UHMWPE–ALN was lower than that of UHMWPE at 50 N in 25 v/v % calf serum. The main wear mechanisms of UHMWPE and UHMWPE–ALN in deionized water and UHMWPE in physiological saline were abrasive. The main wear mechanism of UHMWPE–ALN in physiological saline was micro-fatigue. In 25 v/v % calf serum, the main wear mechanism of UHMWPE and UHMWPE–ALN was abrasive wear accompanied with plastic deformation. The results of Micro-XRD indicated that the molecular deformation of UHMWPE–ALN and UHMWPE under the lower stress were in the amorphous region but in the crystalline region at the higher stress. These results showed that the wear of UHMWPE–ALN would be reduced under calf serum lubricated, which would be potentially applied to treat osteolysis.     

Comparison of friction and wear performances of brake materials containing different amounts of ZrSiO4 dry sliding against SiCp reinforced Al matrix composites

Low friction levels for brake materials dry sliding against Al matrix composites (Al-MMCs) were observed. Al matrix composites reinforced with 30 vol.% SiC_p (34 μm) were used first to fabricate a new brake drum in place of the conventional cast iron brake drum for a Chase Machine. Experimental studies on the brake materials differing in amounts of zirconium silicate (0 wt%, 4 wt%, 8 wt%, and 12 wt% ZrSiO₄) dry sliding against the Al-MMCs drum were performed on the Chase Machine in order to examine their effects on friction and wear performances. The test procedures include friction fade and recovery, load and speed sensitivities at 177 °C and 316 °C, and wear. Experimental results show that the brake material containing 8 wt% ZrSiO₄ had the best wear resistance and higher friction level. The brake material containing 12 wt% ZrSiO₄ had the highest friction level, but wear increased rapidly. The deterioration of the latter wear suggests that this brake material is unreliable in commercial applications.     

Tribological behavior of Ti3SiC2/(WC–10Co) composites prepared by spark plasma sintering

The dry sliding friction and wear behavior of Ti₃SiC₂/(WC–10Co) composites (TWCs) against GCr15 steel pair at room temperature was investigated through the determination of friction coefficient and wear rate under different conditions and the analysis of the morphologies and compositions of wear debris, worn surfaces of TWC and GCr15 steel. The friction coefficients of TWC with 3 wt.% WC–10Co were in the range of 0.40–0.48, and the wear rate varied from 0.6 × 10⁻⁴ mm³ (N m)⁻¹ to 1 × 10⁻⁴ mm³ (N m)⁻¹. At the load of 10 N and sliding speed of 0.353 m/s, the glazes were formed on the worn surfaces of TWC. The wear mechanisms were complicated, including micro-cutting and abrasive wear of TWC, oxidation wear of GCr15 steel, as well as adhesive wear caused by the glaze flaking.     

Tribological characteristics of innovative Al6061–carbon fiber rod metal matrix composites

Rods made of continuous carbon fibers are being extensively used as structural materials in light weight micro-air vehicles owing to their excellent specific modulus and strength. Further, they possess excellent tribological characteristics – low friction and wear coupled with high conductivity making them an ideal reinforcement in developing light weight, high strength aluminum based metal matrix composites. In the last three decades, researchers have focused mainly on the study of mechanical and tribological behavior of discontinuous carbon fiber reinforced metal matrix composites. However, no information is available regarding the tribological behavior of carbon fibers rod reinforced metal matrix composites, although it is interesting and will result in expanding the applications of metal matrix composites (MMC) where tribological failures are expected.In the light of the above, the present work focuses on development of innovative Al6061–carbon fiber rods composites by casting route and assessing their tribological characteristics. Carbon fiber rods of 4 mm and 6 mm diameters were surface sensitized to achieve electro less nickel coating. Copper plating on the electro less nickel coated carbon fiber rods were carried out. The copper plated carbon fiber rods were arranged in cylindrical array in the metallic mold to which molten Al6061 alloy after degassing was poured at a temperature of 700 °C. The developed innovative composites were subjected to density tests, microstructure studies, hardness, friction and wear tests. A pin on disk configuration was used with hardened steel as the counter face. Load was varied from 20 N to 60 N while the sliding velocity was varied between 0.12 m/s and 0.62 m/s. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) studies on worn surfaces and wear debris have been carried out to validate the wear mechanism. The developed innovative composites (11 Vol.% & 25 Vol.%) have exhibited lower coefficient of friction and wear rates when compared with matrix alloy.     

Evaluation of microstructure and mechanical properties in friction stir processed SKD61 tool steel

A SKD61 tool steel was friction stir processed using a polycrystalline cubic boron nitride tool. Microstructure, tensile properties and wear characteristic were evaluated. Fine grains with a martensite structure were produced in the friction stir processed zone, which led to the increase of the microindentation hardness. The grains became finer when the heat input was lowered. The transverse tensile strength of the friction stir processed zone was equal to that of base metal and all the tensile specimens fractured at base metal zone. The wear width and depth of the friction stir processed zone at the load of 1.96 N were 339 μm and 6 μm, as compared to 888 μm and 42 μm of the base metal, decreased by 62% and 86%. Findings of the present study suggest that low heat input is an effective method to produce a friction stir processed zone composed of relatively fine grain martensitic structure with good tensile properties and wear characteristic.     

The study of tribological and corrosion behavior of plasma nitrided 34CrNiMo6 steel under hot and cold wall conditions

This paper reports on a comparative study of tribological and corrosion behavior of plasma nitrided 34CrNiMo6 low alloy steel under modern hot wall condition and conventional cold wall condition. Plasma nitriding was carried out at 500 °C and 550 °C with a 25% N₂ + 75% H₂ gas mixture for 8 h. The wall temperature of the chamber in hot wall condition was set to 400 °C. The treated specimens were characterized by using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), microhardness and surface roughness techniques. The wear test was performed by pin-on-disc method. Potentiodynamic polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) tests were also used to evaluate the corrosion resistance of the samples. The results demonstrated that in both nitriding conditions, wear and corrosion resistance of the treated samples decrease with increasing temperature from 500 °C to 550 °C. Moreover, nitriding under hot wall condition at the same temperature provided slightly better tribological and corrosion behavior in comparison with cold wall condition. In consequence, the lowest friction coefficient, and highest wear and corrosion resistance were found on the sample treated under hot wall condition at 500 °C, which had the maximum surface hardness and ε-Fe_2–3N phase.