• Tribology and Lubricants
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• 제39권3호
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• pp.87-93
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• 2023

Nanofluids are dispersions of particles smaller than 100 nm (nanoparticles) in base fluids. They exhibit high thermal conductivity and are mainly applied in cooling applications. Nanolubricants use nanoparticles in base oils as lubricant additives, and have recently started gathering increased attention owing to their potential to improve the tribological and thermal performances of various machinery. Nanolubricants reduce friction and wear, mainly by the action of nanoparticles; however, only a few studies have considered the rheological properties of lubricants. In this study, we adopt a parallel slider bearing model that does not generate geometrical wedge effects, and conduct thermohydrodynamic (THD) analyses to evaluate the effect of higher thermal conductivity and viscosity, which are the main rheological properties of nanolubricants, on the lubrication performances. We use a commercial computational fluid dynamics code, FLUENT, to numerically analyze the continuity, Navier-Stokes, energy equations with temperature-viscosity-density relations, and thermal conductivity and viscosity models of the nanolubricant. The results show the temperature and pressure distributions, load-carrying capacity (LCC), and friction force for three film-temperature boundary conditions (FTBCs). The effects of the higher thermal conductivity and viscosity of the nanolubricant on the LCC and friction force differ significantly, according to the FTBC. The thermal conductivity increases with temperature, improving the cooling performance, reducing LCC, and slightly increasing the friction. The increase in viscosity increases both the LCC and friction. The analysis method in this study can be applied to develop nanolubricants that can improve the tribological and cooling performances of various equipment; however, additional research is required on this topic.

• Tribology and Lubricants
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• 제34권2호
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• pp.55-59
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• 2018

This paper proposes a new type of electro-mechanical wedge brake for commercial vehicles. The brake operates on a novel mechanism for self-boosting braking friction forces using eccentric shafts, and involves wedges that are inserted between the rampbridge and traverse; this self-boosting mechanism is explained herein. A dynamic analysis using ADAMS was conducted, and the findings are reported. The constraint and contact conditions are explained to verify the precision of the dynamic analysis. The dynamic analysis shows that in the proposed mechanism, the self-boosting effect occurs as desired. However, it is also noted that the system has a limitation in terms of the production of unlimited braking forces that can jam the roller inside the wedges. After demonstrating the self-boosting effect, dynamic analyses are performed for several values of the wedge angles and friction coefficients between the brake pads and disks. Conventionally, a lower wedge angle has been suggested owing to its provision of a larger clamping force for given friction coefficients. However, it is noted that lower wedge angles can lead to a higher probability of occurrence of undesirable high braking forces, which can jam the roller into the wedge; thus, a larger wedge angle is preferable for avoiding the undesirable jamming phenomena. These analysis results are presented and discussed herein.

• Tribology and Lubricants
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• 제31권6호
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• pp.251-257
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• 2015

Heavy oil production is receiving significant attention because of increased demands for thermal power generation systems of the diesel engine and boilers. However, asphaltene, which is a heavy oil components (6-8 wt%), reduces the heat efficiency of the fuels owing to its agglomerated sludge of asphaltene during the burning process. Therefore, for hassle-free operation, we should develop asphaltene dispersants to suppress the formation of the sludge. We prepare variable salt-type polymeric dispersants using poly(isobutenyl succinic anhydride) and poly(amine) through both condensation esterification and acid-base neutralization reactions, which we subsequently evaluate for dispersing performance, using Turbiscan measurement. Total acid number (TAN) and total base number (TBN) of 75Lec-25SynDis.2 composed of lecithin and the prepared polymeric salt having the ratio of 3 : 1 are 18.9 and 33.7 mg KOH/g, respectively, which are comparable to those of the commercial dispersants (15.8 and 26.5 mg KOH/g). We determine the initial turbidity observed for 15 min of the polymeric dispersant was determined with transmittance (%), which can be calculated to separability number (SN). The SN value of 75Lec-25SynDis.2 is close to zero, which is superior to that of commercial dispersants and lecithin (0.015 and 0.017).

• Tribology and Lubricants
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• 제14권2호
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• pp.35-41
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• 1998

The $WS_2$ solid lubricant synthesized through the vapour phase transport method was coated on the commercial bearing steel (SUJ 2) substrate, and the tribological behaviour of the lubricant was investigated using a ball-on-disk type tester. The $WS_2$ powder was spray-coated at room temperature using compressed air, and the change of friction coefficient was examined in various conditions, i.e., specimen configuration, atmosphere (air and nitrogen), applied load and rotating speed. $WS_2$ coated ball and disk showed the optimum friction coefficient of 0.07 and wear life of 45,000 cycles in the nitrogen atmosphere under 0.3 kgf and 100 rpm, whereas relatively high coefficient of 0.13 and reduced wear life of 4,000 cycles were observed in air atmosphere. The effect of rotating speed on the friction coefficient was not observed both in nitrogen and in air atmospheres. This confirmed that the spray-coated $WS_2$ solid lubricant was effective in reducing the friction coefficient and improving wear life in nitrogen atmosphere, and the oxygen and moisture existing in air could seriously deteriorate the lubrication effect of $WS_2$ coating layer.

• Tribology and Lubricants
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• 제25권5호
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• pp.305-310
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• 2009

Laser surface texturing (LST) methods are applied recently to generate micro-dimples in machine components having parallel sliding surfaces such as thrust bearings, mechanical face seals and piston rings, etc. And it is experimentally reported by several researchers that the micro-dimpled bearing surfaces can reduce friction force. Until now, however, theoretical results for various dimple parameters are not fully presented. In this paper, a commercial computational fluid dynamics (CFD) code, FLUENT is used to investigate the effect of dimple depth on the lubrication characteristics of parallel thrust bearing. The results show that the pressure, velocity and density distributions within dimples are highly affected by dimple depths and cavitation conditions. Adoption of micro-dimple on the bearing surface can reduce the friction force highly and its levels are affected by dimple depth. The numerical methods and results can be use in design of optimum dimple characteristics to improve thrust bearing performance.

• Tribology and Lubricants
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• 제21권2호
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• pp.63-70
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• 2005

This study presents the thermal cracking on a commercial vehicle ventilated brake disk. Distributions of temperature and thermal stress of the disk were analysed, using FEM analysis, under the several driving conditions with actual vehicle specifications. The results from the fatigue tests on the disk material were compared with those from FEM analysis. In case of deceleration of 0.6 g with initial vehicle speed of 97, 140, and 160 km/h, the maximum compressive stress at the disk surface of disk due to braking was 224, 318, and 362 MPa, respectively. It was estimated that each damage fraction of 0.00005, 0.00050, 0.00136 per full stop was imposed on the brake disk in case of deceleration of 0.6 g with initial vehicle speed of 97, 140, and 160 km/h, respectively.

• Tribology and Lubricants
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• 제24권4호
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• pp.163-169
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• 2008

Tribological properties of ceramic brake discs were investigated using a commercial friction material. The discs were manufactured by liquid silicon infiltration (LSI) into a C-C preform. The disc surface was modified by two different methods, producing sliding surfaces with chopped carbon fibers and carbon felt. In addition, the composition of the surface was also changed. Friction characteristics of the discs were examined using a 1/5 scale dynamometer. Results showed that the type and composition of the disc surface significantly affected the level of braking effectiveness and high temperature brake performance. The discs with felt surfaces showed higher friction levels than those with chopped fiber surfaces and SiC tended to increase the friction level while C lowered the friction coefficient. The ceramic disc was more sensitive to the deceleration rate than gray iron, showing high speed sensitivity.

• Tribology and Lubricants
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• 제13권4호
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• pp.60-65
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• 1997

The tungsten disulfide $(WS_2)$ solid lubricant was synthesized by two different reaction processes, i.e., the reaction between $CS_2$ gas phase and solid $WO_3$powder, and the vapour phase transport method of tungsten and sulfur in a high vacuum. The chemical and physical characteristics of synthesized $WS_2$powder were analyzed in terms of the average particle size, morphology, crystalline phase etc. in comparison with those of commercial $WS_2$powder. The solid $WO_3$ powder with the average size of 0.2 ${\mu}{\textrm}{m}$ was reacted with $CS_2$gas flowed with$N_2$or 96%$N_2{\times}4%H_2$forming gas for 36 h and 24 h at 90$0^{\circ}C$ respectively. $WS_2$ crystalline phase was then formed through the intermediate phase of .$W_{20}O_{58}$ In the case of vapour phase transport method, the 3.5 wt% iodine was added as a vapour transport reagent into the composition of tungsten and sulfur powders maintaining a constant molar ratio of W:S=1:2.2. The mixture was then heat treated at 85$0^{\circ}C$ for 2 weeks in vacuum. The reaction product obtained showed the average size of 12 ${\mu}{\textrm}{m}$ and the hexagonal plate shape of typical solid lubricant with 2H-$WS_2$crystalline phase.

• Tribology and Lubricants
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• 제32권5호
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• pp.147-153
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• 2016

Friction reduction between machine components is important for improving their efficiency and lifespan. In recent years, surface texturing has received considerable attention as a viable means to enhance the efficiency and tribological performance of highly sliding mechanical components such as parallel thrust bearings, mechanical face seals, and piston rings. In this study, we perform lubrication analysis to investigate the effect of dimple shapes and orientations on the lubrication characteristics of a surface textured parallel thrust bearing. Numerical analysis involves solving the continuity and Navier-Stokes equations using a commercial computational fluid dynamics (CFD) code, FLUENT. We use dimples consisting of hemispherical and different semiellipsoidal orientations for simulation. We compare pressure and streamline distributions, load capacity, friction force, and leakage flowrate for different numbers of dimples and orientations. We find that the dimple shapes, orientations, and their numbers starting from an inlet influence the lubrication characteristics. The results show that partial texturing of the bearing inlet region, and the ellipsoidal dimples with the major axis aligned along the lubricant flow direction exhibit the best lubrication characteristics in terms of higher load capacity and lower friction. The results can be used in the design of optimum dimple characteristics for parallel thrust bearings, for which further research is required.

• Tribology and Lubricants
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• 제34권1호
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• pp.9-15
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• 2018

Modern high-performance automotive turbochargers (TCs) implement ceramic hybrid angular contact ball bearings in series with squeeze film dampers (SFDs) to enhance transient responses, thereby reducing the overall emission levels. The current study predicts the rotordynamic responses of the commercial automotive TCs (compressor wheel diameter = ~53 mm, turbine wheel diameter = ~43 mm, and shaft diameter at the bearing locations = ~7 mm) supported on ball bearings and SFDs for various design parameters of SFDs, including radial clearance, axial length, lubricant viscosity, and rotor imbalance conditions (i.e., amplitudes and phase angles) while increasing rotor speed up to 150 krpm. This study validates the predictive rotor finite element model against measurements of mass, polar and transverse moments of inertia, and free-free mode natural frequencies and mode shapes. A nonlinear rotordynamic model integrates nonlinear force coefficients of SFDs to calculate the transient responses of the TC rotor-bearing system. The predicted results show that SFD radial clearances, as well as phase angles of rotor imbalances, have the paramount effect on the dynamic responses of TC shaft motions.