• Tribology and Lubricants
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.207-214
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• 2020

In this study, we investigated the effects of copper and copper-alloy on the frictional and wear properties of low-steel friction material. The proportions of copper and copper-alloy in the brake friction materials used in passenger cars are very high (approximately 5-20% weight), and these materials have significant effects on friction and wear characteristics. In this study, the effects of cupric ingredients, such as the copper fiber and brass fiber, are investigated using the friction materials based on commercial formulations. After the copper and brass fibers from the same formulation were removed, the frictional and wear characteristics were evaluated to determine the influence of the copper and copper-alloy. We evaluated the frictional and wear characteristics by simulating various braking conditions using a 1/5 scale dynamometer. The results show that the friction material containing copper and brass fibers have excellent frictional stability and a low wear rate compared to the friction material that does not contain copper and brass fibers. These results are attributed to the excellent ductility, moderate melting point, high strength, and excellent thermal conductivity of copper and copper-alloy. We analyzed the surfaces of the friction materials before and after the performing the friction tests using a scanning electron microscope-energy dispersive X-ray spectroscope, confocal microscope, and roughness tester to verify the frictional behavior of copper and copper-alloy. In future studies, it will be applied to the development of copper-free friction materials based on the results of this study.

• Tribology and Lubricants
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• v.35 no.6
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• pp.356-361
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• 2019

The friction and wear between machine components directly influence the energy loss and failure in various machines. Therefore, there is always a demand for finding methods to reduce friction and wear. Of the possible methods, lubrication is a widely used method for reducing friction and wear. In the case of lubrication, it is important to analyze the tribological behavior in the boundary lubrication because most of friction and wear occurs in the boundary lubrication regime. Cast iron has been regarded as a good material for industrial applications due to the excellent mechanical properties and high productivity. Especially, nodular cast iron is a material that shows better mechanical properties and wear-resistance compared with cast iron due to inclusion of spheroidal graphite. In this work, we investigated the tribological characteristics of nodular cast iron with respect to different counter parts in boundary lubrication regime. Sliding tests were conducted with SUJ2, ZrO₂, Si₃N₄ balls as counter parts using a pin-on-disk type tribotester. The results showed different friction and wear behaviors with different counter parts. The case of ZrO₂ showed the lowest wear rate in specimen and no significant ball wear. In case of SUJ2, it showed similar wear rate with ZrO₂ case in specimen and the highest friction coefficient. The case of Si₃N₄ showed the lowest friction coefficient, 33% lower than the case of SUJ2. It showed 16.9 times larger wear rate in specimen and 43% larger wear rate in ball compared to that of the SUJ2 case.

• Tribology and Lubricants
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.1-8
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• 2016

This paper focuses on the thermal deformation induced preload change in the tilting pad journal bearing, using a three-dimensional (3D) thermo-hydro-dynamic (THD) approach. Preload is considered as a critical factor in designing the tilting pad journal bearing. The initial preload measured under nil external load and nil thermal gradient is influenced by two factors, namely, the thermal deformation and elastic deformation. Thermal deformation is due to a temperature distribution in the bearing pads, whereas the elastic deformation is due to fluid forces acting on the pads. This study focuses on the changes induced in preload and film clearance due to thermal deformation. The generalized Reynolds equation is used to evaluate the force of the fluid and the 3D energy equation is used to calculate the temperature of the lubricant. The abovementioned equations are combined by establishing a relationship between viscosity and temperature. The heat transfer within the bearing pads, the lubricant, and the spinning journal is calculated using the heat flux boundary condition. The 3D Finite Element Method (FEM) is used in modeling the (1) heat conduction in the spinning journal and bearing pads, (2) thermal gradient induced thermal distortion of the spinning journal and pads, and (3) viscous shearing, and heat conduction and convection in a thin film. This evaluation method has an increased fidelity, and it can prove to be a cost-effective tool that can be used by designers to predict the dynamic behavior of a bearing.

• Tribology and Lubricants
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.146-155
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• 2014

In this study, we conduct fretting corrosion tests on tin-plated brass coupons to investigate the effect of temperature on fretting corrosion for various span amplitudes. We prepare a coupled fretting corrosion specimens using a tin-plated brass coupon with a thickness of $10{\mu}m$. One specimen is a flat coupon and the other specimen is a coupon with a protuberance in 1 mm radius, which is produced using 2 mm diameter steel ball. We conduct fretting corrosion tests at $25^{\circ}C$, $50^{\circ}C$, $75^{\circ}C$, $100^{\circ}C$ by rubbing the coupled coupons together at the contact between the flat and protuberance coupons. We measure electric resistance of the contact during the fretting corrosion test period. There is increase in resistance with fretting cycles. It is found that rate of increase in electric resistance becomes faster with increase in testing temperature. Magnitude of friction coefficient increases with fretting span amplitudes. And, change in friction coefficient becomes desensitized to the increment in span amplitude. Assuming that failure cycle is the cycle with an electric resistance of $0.01{\Omega}$, we find that failure lifetime ($N_f$) decreases with increase in testing temperature. Furthermore, based on the assumption that the damage rate of the connector is inversely related to the failure cycle, we calculate the activation energy for fretting damage to be 13.6 kJ/mole by using the Arrhenius equation. We propose a method to predict failure cycle at different temperatures for span amplitudes below $30{\mu}m$. Friction coefficients generally increase with increase in span amplitude and decrease in testing temperature.

• Tribology and Lubricants
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.127-133
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• 2017

In order to characterize the adhesive properties and failure mechanisms of diamond-like carbon (DLC) films of two different thicknesses (130 nm and $1.2{\mu}m$), deposited by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition on a Si substrate, scratch testing with a micro-indenter ($12.5{\mu}m$ tip radius) was performed under a linearly increasing load. These scratch tests were conducted under the same test conditions for both films. The critical load of each film was estimated from the scratch test results, based on a sharp increase in the coefficient of friction and a clear distinction of failure modes. The critical load was the basis for evaluating the adhesion strength of the films, and the $1.2{\mu}m-thick$ DLC film had superior adhesion strength. For better understanding of the failure modes, the following analyses were conducted: friction behavior and scratch tracks analysis using scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive spectroscopy, and 3-D profilometry. The scratch test results showed that failure modes were related to the thickness of the films. The 130 nm-thick DLC film underwent cohesive failure modes (cracks and chipping) before reaching to a gross failure stage. On the other hand, the thicker DLC film ($1.2{\mu}m-thick$) did not exhibit micro cracks before a sudden gross failure of the film together with the evidence of cracking and chipping of the Si substrate.

• Tribology and Lubricants
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.125-131
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• 2018

A precision tribometer consisting of a cantilever was designed to measure frictional forces in the micro-Newton range. As frictional forces are measured based on the bending of the cantilever, vibration of the cantilever is the most significant factor affecting the quality of the friction measurement. Therefore, improved design of the tribometer with double cantilevers and a connecting plate that united the two cantilevers mechanically was suggested. For the verification of the modified design of the tribometer, numerical analysis and experiments were conducted. Examination using the finite element method revealed that the tribometer with a double cantilever and a connecting plate exhibited faster damping characteristics than the tribometer with a single cantilever. In the experiment, effectiveness of the double cantilever and connecting plate for vibration reduction was also confirmed. Vibration of the tribometer with double cantilever decreased eight times faster than that of the tribometer with a single cantilever. The faster damping of the double cantilever design is attributed to the mechanical interaction at the contacting surfaces between the cantilever and the connecting plate. Tribotesting using the tribometer with a single cantilever resulted in random fluctuation of frictional forces due to the stick-slip behavior. However, using the tribometer with a double cantilever and connecting plate for the tribotest gave relatively uniform and steady measurement of frictional forces. Increased stiffness owing to using a double cantilever and mechanical damping of the connecting plate were responsible for the stable friction signal.

• Tribology and Lubricants
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• v.20 no.6
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• pp.306-313
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• 2004

Many of the current development in surface modification engineering are focused on multilayered coatings, which have the potential to improve the tribological properties. Four different multilayered coatings were deposited on AISI D2 steel in this study. The prepared samples are designed as $WC-Ti_{0.6}Al_{0.4}N,\;WC-Ti_{0.53}Al_{0.47}N,\;WC-Ti_{0.5}Al_{0.5}N\;and\;WC-Ti_{0.43}Al_{0.57}N$. The multilayered coatings were investigated with respect to coating surface and cross-sectional morphology, roughness, adhesion, hardness, porosity and tribological behaviors. Especially, wear tests of four multilayered coatings were performed by using a ball-on-disc configuration with a linear sliding speed of 0.017 m/sec and a normal load of 5.38 N load. The tests were carried out at room temperature in air by employing AISI 52100 steel ball $(H_R\;=\;66) $ having a diameter of 10 mm. The surface morphology, and topography of the wear scars of samples and balls have been determined by using scanning electron spectroscopy (SEM). Also, wear mechanism was determined by using SEM coupled with energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). Results have showed an improved wear resistance of the $WC-Ti_{1-x}Al_xN$coatings with increasing of Al (aluminum) concentration.

• Tribology and Lubricants
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.43-48
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• 2018

This paper presents the thermohydrodynamic analysis of tilting journal pad bearings supporting a power turbine rotor applied to a 250 kW super-critical $CO_2$ cycle. In the analysis, the generalized Reynolds equation and 3D energy equation are solved to predict oil film temperature and the 3D heat conduction equation is solved for pad temperature. The power turbine rotor is supported by two tilting pad bearings consisting of five pads with an oil supply block between the pads. Copper backing pads with higher thermal conductivity compared to steel backing pads are adopted to improve thermal management. The predicted maximum pad temperature is around $55^{\circ}C$ which is approximately $15^{\circ}C$ higher than oil supply temperature. In addition, the predicted minimum film thickness is 50 mm at a rotating speed of 5,000 rpm. These results indicate that there is no issue in the thermal behavior of the bearing. An operation test is performed with a power turbine module consisting of a power turbine, a reduction gear and a generator. Thermocouples are installed at the 75% position from the leading edge of the pad to monitor pad temperature. The power turbine uses compressed air at a temperature of $250^{\circ}C$ in its operation. The steady state pad temperatures measured in the test show good agreement with the predicted temperatures.

• Tribology and Lubricants
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.108-115
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• 2014

The friction behaviors of bulk amorphous thermal spray coating (BAC) and second phase-reinforced composite coatings using a high velocity oxy-fuel spraying process were investigated using a ball-on-disk test rig that slides against a ceramic ball in an atmospheric environment. The surface temperatures were measured using an infrared thermometer installed 50 mm from the contact surface. The crystallinities of the coating layers were determined using X-ray diffraction. The morphologies of the coating layers and worn surfaces were observed using a scanning electron microscope and energy-dispersive spectroscopy. The results show that the friction behavior of the monolithic amorphous coating was sensitive to the testing conditions. Under lower than normal loads, a low and stable friction coefficient of about 0.1 was observed, whereas under a higher relative load, a high and unstable friction coefficient of greater than 0.3 was obtained with an instant temperature increase. For the composite coatings, a sudden increase in friction coefficient did not occur, i.e., the transition region did not exist and during the friction test, a gradual increase occurred only after a significant delay. The BAC morphology observations indicate that viscous plastic flow was generated with low loads, but severe surface damage (i.e., tearing) occurred at high loads. For composite coatings, a relatively smooth surface was observed on the worn surface for all applied loads.

• Tribology and Lubricants
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.59-64
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• 2017

This study investigates friction and wear characteristics of anodized aluminum (Al) alloy 6061 by using a reciprocating tribotester. The diameter and height of the specimen are 30 mm and 10 mm, respectively. The surface roughness of the mirrored-surface is approximately $0.01{\sim}0.02{\mu}m$, and it is used throughout the current study. As a result of anodizing, the depth and diameter of the nanopore are approximately $25{\mu}m$ and 30-40 nm, respectively. The testing conditions are as follows: loads of 1, 3, and 5 N; a frequency of 1 Hz; a stoke of 3 mm; and a duration of 1800 s. We use deionized water with a volume of approximately $25{\mu}l$, as the lubricant. Micro Vickers hardness measurements show that mirrored-surface specimens had lower hardness values than anodized specimens. Further, their coefficients of friction are lower than those of the anodized samples, and the width of their wear track increases with load, as expected. The anodized specimens' coefficients of friction increase with stable frictional behavior and exhibit insignificant load dependence. Further, we observe that the width of the wear track is less than that of the mirrored-surface specimens, and micro cracks are present near it. Moreover, the anodizing process increases the hardness of the samples, improving their wear resistance. These results indicate that nanoporous structures are not effective in lowering friction under the water-lubricated condition.