• Tribology and Lubricants
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• v.16 no.6
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• pp.477-483
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• 2000

Rolling contact fatigue (RCF) tests were performed for two kinds of commercial silicon nitride balls using 4-Ball rolling contact fatigue life tester under EHL condition (Λ=8.9) and boundary lubrication condition (Λ=0.2). All the test balls were finished up to the dimensional accuracy of Grade 5 defined in KS B 2001 (Steel Balls for Ball Bearings) with a size of 8.731 mm. RCF tests were then conducted under the initial theoretical maximum contact stress 6.63 GPa and the spindle speed 10,000 rpm. All the test balls were not failed until 3.75 $\times$ 107 contact cycles and wear tracks of test balls were not conspicuous under EHL condition (Λ= 8.9). In the operations of low lambda regime (Λ= 0.2), all the test balls were surface damaged and high rolling wear resistance was achievable in fully densified using MgO 1 wt% and HIPed balls. Rolling wear of silicon nitride balls under boundary lubrication condition depend mainly on grain size and intergranular phase content of silicon nitride balls.

• Tribology and Lubricants
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.150-155
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• 1999

The rolling fatigue lives (RFL) of five kinds of silicon nitride balls were investigated. Four kinds of Si$_3$N$_4$balls were fabricated using different raw materials, sintering aids and sintering conditions. Commercially available Si$_3$N$_4$ball was also studied for comparison. All the balls were finished up to the dimensional accuracy of Grade 10 defined in KS B 2001 (Steel Balls fer Ball Bearings) with a size of 9.525 mm. RFL tests were then conducted under the initial theoretical maximum contact stress 6.38 GPa and the spindle speed 10,000 rpm. Gear oil was provided by oiled race as lubricant. The results of RFL test indicated the prerequisitic conditions for the long rolling life of Si$_3$N$_4$ball : (1) the high density, (2) microstructures consisted of small uniformly distributed grains, (3) little glassy phase in grainboundary, and (4) little crystalline phase and secondary phase that induces residual thermal stress due to the differences of thermal expansion coefficient with Si$_3$N$_4$phase.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Tribologists and Lubrication Engineers Conference
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• 1999.06a
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• pp.119-126
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• 1999

The rolling fatigue lives (RFL) of five kinds of silicon nitride balls were investigated. Four kinds of Si$_3$N$_4$ balls were fabricated using different raw materials, sintering aids and sintering conditions, Commercially available Si3N4 ball was also studied for comparison. All the balls were finished up to the dimensional accuracy of Grade 10 defined in KS B 2001 (Steel Balls for Ball Bearings) with a size of 9.525mm. RFL tests were then conducted under the initial theoretical maximum contact stress 6.38 GPa and the spindle speed 10,000 rpm. Gear oil was provided by oiled race as lubricant. The results of RFL test indicated the prerequisitic conditions for the long rolling life of Si$_3$N$_4$ball : (1) the high density, (2) mjcrostructures consisted of small uniformly distributed grains, (3) little glassy phase in grainboundary, and (4) little crystalline phase and secondary phase that induces residual thermal stress due to the differences of thermal expansion coefficient with Si$_3$N$_4$Phase.

• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.269-276
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• 1996

The effect of sintering aids on the sinterability for silcion nitride has been studied by hundreds workers. However the effect of sintering aids on the machinability as the own trobles which is the major barrier for the field applications of the ceramic components has not been fully studied. in this study the contents of Al2O3 and Y2O3 in silicon nitride were varied from 0 to 8 wt% respectively. The physical and mechanical properties of the silcion nitride were measured. The optimal microstructure of silicon nitride balls with the excellent machinability by adding with various contents of sintering aids was studied by MGF(magnetic-fluid grinding)technique. An attempt to figure out how the mechanical properties influence the machinability of silicon-nitride ball was made.

• Tribology and Lubricants
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.157-162
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• 2015

In this study, an ultrasonic nanocrystalline surface modification (UNSM) technique is applied to tungsten carbide-cobalt (WC-Co) to extend the service life of carbide parts used in press mold. The UNSM technique modifies the structure, reduces the surface roughness, increases the surface hardness, induces the compressive residual stress, and increases the wear resistance of materials by introducing severe plastic deformation. The surface roughness, hardness, and compressive residual stress of WC after UNSM treatment improve by about 42, 10, and 71%, respectively. A wear test under dry conditions is used to assess the effectiveness of the UNSM technique on the friction and wear behavior of WC. The UNSM technique is found to reduce the WC friction coefficient by approximately 21% and enhance the wear resistance by approximately 85%. The improved friction and wear behavior of WC may be mainly attributed to the increased hardness and compressive residual stress. Moreover, the WC specimen is treated by UNSM technique using three different WC, silicon nitride (Si₃N₄) and stainless steel (STS304) balls. The surface treated by WC balls shows the highest hardness when compared with treatment by stainless steel and silicon nitride balls. According to the obtained results, the UNSM technique is believed to increase the durability of the carbide component by improving the friction and wear behavior.