• Tribology and Lubricants
• /
• 제38권1호
• /
• pp.15-21
• /
• 2022

Diamond reinforced Cr-based coating has been proposed as wear-resistant materials. In this study, the friction and wear characteristics of diamond reinforced Cr-based coating are experimentally assessed. The experiments are performed using a pin-on-reciprocating plate tribo-tester under various normal forces with boundary lubrication. The stainless-steel ball is used as a counter material. Prior to the experiments, mechanical properties such as elastic modulus and hardness are determined using nanoscale instrumented indentation. The hardness of the specimen is further determined using a Vickers hardness tester. The specimens before and after the experiments are carefully observed using a confocal microscope to understand the wear characteristics. In addition, the wear volume and wear rate of the specimens are determined based on the confocal microscope data. The results show that the friction coefficients are 0.096-0.100 under 20-40 N normal forces. Furthermore, the wear rates of the diamond reinforced Cr-based coating and the stainless steel ball under 20-40 N normal forces are found to be 12.8 × 10^-8 mm³/(Nm)-15.5 × 10^-8 mm³/(Nm) and 1.9 × 10^-8 mm³/(Nm)-3.9 × 10^-8 mm³/(Nm), respectively. However, the effect of the normal force on wear rates is not clearly observed, which may be associated with the flattening of the ball. The results of the study may be useful for the tribological applicability of diamond reinforced Cr-based coating as wear-resistant materials.

• Tribology and Lubricants
• /
• 제38권1호
• /
• pp.8-14
• /
• 2022

Amorphous carbon (a-C) has excellent wear resistance and, therefore is used as a coating to protect numerous mechanical components to prolong their lifetimes. Among the a-C coatings, diamond-like carbon (DLC) and DLC-containing silicon (Si-DLC) receive extensive attention owing to their enhanced wear resistance and low frictional characteristics. In this study, the friction and wear characteristics of DLC and Si-DLC coatings are analyzed. For comparative analysis, DLC-coated and Si-DLC-coated vanes are utilized with the counterpart of a roller for the friction tests. Since the lubricated mechanical components are generally vulnerable to wear when a lubricant film does not form properly, friction tests are conducted under boundary lubrication conditions to promote wear. A cylinder-on-cylinder type tribometer is used to perform the friction tests with various normal load conditions. After the friction test, a 3D laser confocal microscope is used for quantifying the wear volume to calculate the wear rate of each specimen. Consequently, the DLC-coated specimen shows a lower coefficient of friction (COF) and wear rate than the specimen without the coating, while the Si-DLC coating shows a higher COF than the bare specimen. The results of this study are expected to contribute to improving the efficiency and reliability of compressors.

• Tribology and Lubricants
• /
• 제39권2호
• /
• pp.81-85
• /
• 2023

This study presents an experimental investigation of the effects of surface roughness on gas foil thrust bearing (GFTB) performance. A high-speed motor with the maximum speed of 80 krpm rotates a thrust runner and a pneumatic cylinder applies static loads to the test GFTB. When the motor speed increases and reaches a specific speed at which a hydrodynamic film pressure generated within the gap between the thrust runner and test GFTB is enough to support the applied static load, the thrust runner lifts off from the test GFTB and the friction mechanism changes from the boundary lubrication to the hydrodynamic lubrication. The experiment shows a series of lift-off test and load-carrying capacity test for two thrust runners with different surface roughnesses. For a constant static load of 15 N, thrust runner A with its lower surface roughness exhibits a higher start-up torque but lower lift-off torque than thrust runner B with a higher surface roughness. The load capacity test at a rotor speed of 60 krpm reveals that runner A results in a higher maximum load capacity than runner B. Runner A also shows a lower drag torque, friction coefficient, and bearing temperature than runner B at constant static loads. The results imply that maintaining a consistent surface roughness for a thrust runner may improve its static GFTB performance.

• Tribology and Lubricants
• /
• 제11권5호
• /
• pp.128-135
• /
• 1995

Atomic force microscopy/friction force microscopy (AFM/FFM) techniques are increasingly used for tribological studies of engineering surfaces at scales, ranging from atomic and molecular to microscales. These techniques have been used to study surface roughness, adhesion, friction, scratching/wear, indentation, detection of material transfer, and boundary lubrication and for nanofabrication/nanomachining purposes. Micro/nanotribological studies of single-crystal silicon, natural diamond, magnetic media (magnetic tapes and disks) and magnetic heads have been conducted. Commonly measured roughness parameters are found to be scale dependent, requiring the need of scale-independent fractal parameters to characterize surface roughness. Measurements of atomic-scale friction of a freshly-cleaved highly-oriented pyrolytic graphite exhibited the same periodicity as that of corresponding topography. However, the peaks in friction and those in corresponding topography were displaced relative to each other. Variations in atomic-scale friction and the observed displacement has been explained by the variations in interatomic forces in the normal and lateral directions. Local variation in microscale friction is found to correspond to the local slope suggesting that a ratchet mechanism is responsible for this variation. Directionality in the friction is observed on both micro- and macro scales which results from the surface preparation and anisotropy in surface roughness. Microscale friction is generally found to be smaller than the macrofriction as there is less ploughing contribution in microscale measurements. Microscale friction is load dependent and friction values increase with an increase in the normal load approaching to the macrofriction at contact stresses higher than the hardness of the softer material. Wear rate for single-crystal silicon is approximately constant for various loads and test durations. However, for magnetic disks with a multilayered thin-film structure, the wear of the diamond like carbon overcoat is catastrophic. Breakdown of thin films can be detected with AFM. Evolution of the wear has also been studied using AFM. Wear is found to be initiated at nono scratches. AFM has been modified to obtain load-displacement curves and for nanoindentation hardness measurements with depth of indentation as low as 1 mm. Scratching and indentation on nanoscales are the powerful ways to screen for adhesion and resistance to deformation of ultrathin fdms. Detection of material transfer on a nanoscale is possible with AFM. Boundary lubrication studies and measurement of lubricant-film thichness with a lateral resolution on a nanoscale have been conducted using AFM. Self-assembled monolyers and chemically-bonded lubricant films with a mobile fraction are superior in wear resistance. Finally, AFM has also shown to be useful for nanofabrication/nanomachining. Friction and wear on micro-and nanoscales have been found to be generally smaller compared to that at macroscales. Therefore, micro/nanotribological studies may help def'me the regimes for ultra-low friction and near zero wear.

• Tribology and Lubricants
• /
• 제39권2호
• /
• pp.49-55
• /
• 2023

Currently, the demand for green technologies toward a sustainable future is rapidly increasing due to growing concern over environmental issues. Methanol is biodegradable and can provide clean combustion to reduce sulfur oxide and nitrogen oxide emissions, and therefore it is a candidate fuel for marine engines. However, the effect of methanol on tribological characteristic degradation should be addressed for methanol-fueled engines. In this study, the methanol addition effects on tribological characteristic degradation is experimentally assessed using a pin-on-disk tribo-tester. Ni-based alloy is used as a target material due to its broad applicability as an engine component material. For a lubricant, engine oil with and without methanol are used. The tests are conducted for up to 10,000 cycles under boundary lubrication while the change in friction force is monitored. Additionally, the wear rate is determined based on laser scanning confocal microscope data. An additional test in which methanol is added at regular intervals is performed with an aim to directly observe its effect on friction. Overall, the friction coefficient increases slightly with increasing methanol concentration. Furthermore, the wear rate of the pin and disk increase significantly with methanol addition. The results also indicate that the friction increases instantaneously with methanol addition at the contacting interface. These findings may be useful for better understanding the methanol effect on the tribological characteristics of Ni-based alloys for methanol-fueled engines with improved performance.