Search results

This paper aims to study the tribological behavior of the WS2/oil-impregnated porous polyimide (PPI) solid/liquid composite system, in which both PFPE (perfluoropolyether) and SiCH (silahydrocarbons) oils with different hydrocarbon chains were used, respectively. Lubricating mechanism of the composite system was also explored.

The tribological behaviors of the WS2 films against the PPI cylindrical pins before and after immersing oil were evaluated under different loads by a reciprocating-type ball-on-disc tribometer.

The composite system exhibited the low and stable friction coefficient after the running-in stage, and the lubricant oil played a positive effect. It was found that the WS2/PFPE composite system exhibited more excellent lubricating property, although sole SiCH far exceeds PFPE in lubrication. The abnormal phenomenon mainly resulted from the influence of the oil amount. XRD results on the wear track surfaces indicated that PFPE and SiCH oils with different hydrocarbon chains were likely to preferentially adsorb to the edge plane and basal plane of the WS2 crystals, respectively.

In previous studies, liquid lubricants were directly dripped or spin-coated on the solid lubricant surface. Based on its potential advantage in application, the tribological behavior and mechanism of the solid lubricating film/oil-impregnated PPI composite system were investigated in this study.

This paper aims to investigate the effects of reciprocating frequency, large normal load on friction and wear behavior of hydrogenated diamond-like carbon (H-DLC) coating against Ti-6Al-4V ball under dry and lubricated conditions.

The friction and wear mechanisms are analyzed by scanning electron microscope, energy dispersive spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy.

The results show that as reciprocating frequency increases under lubricated conditions, the friction coefficient decreases first and then increases. When the reciprocating frequency is 2.54 Hz, the value of friction coefficient reaches the minimum. The friction reduction is because of the transformation from sp³ to sp², the formation of transfer layer on Ti-6Al-4V ball and the reduction in viscous friction, whereas the increase of friction coefficient is related to wear. In dry conditions, the friction coefficient is between 0.06 and 0.1. And, the service life of H-DLC coating decreases with the increase in reciprocating frequency and normal load.

It is confirmed that adding the lubricant could prolong the service life of H-DLC coating and reduce friction and wear efficiently. And, the wear mechanisms under dry and lubricated conditions encompass abrasive wear and adhesive wear.

The results are helpful for application of diamond-like carbon coating.

The purpose of this article is to prepare graphene/polyimide composite materials for use as bearing cage materials, improving the friction and wear performance of bearing cages.

The oil absorption and discharge tests were conducted to evaluate the oil content properties of the materials, while the mechanical properties were analyzed through cross-sectional morphology examination. Investigation into the tribological behavior and wear mechanisms encompassed characterization and analysis of wear trace morphology in PPI-based materials. Consequently, the influence of varied graphene nanoplatelets (GN) concentrations on the oil content, mechanical and tribological properties of PPI-based materials was elucidated.

The composites exhibit excellent oil-containing properties due to the increased porosity of PPI-GN composites. The robust formation of covalent bonds between GN and PPI amplifies the adhesive potency of the PPI-GN composites, thereby inducing a substantial enhancement in impact strength. Notably, the PPI-GN composites showed enhanced lubrication properties compared to PPI, which was particularly evident at a GN content of 0.5 Wt.%, as evidenced by the minimization of the average coefficient of friction and the width of the abrasion marks.

This paper includes implications for elucidating the wear mechanism of the polyimide composites under frictional wear conditions and then to guide the optimization of oil content and tribological properties of polyimide bearing cage materials.

In this paper, homogeneously dispersed PPI-GN composites were effectively synthesized by introducing GN into a polyimide matrix through in situ polymerization, and the lubrication mechanism of the PPI composites was compared with that of the PPI-GN composites to illustrate the composites’ superiority.

The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/ILT-12-2023-0415

Random point-contact between the space bearing retainer and the rolling elements may cause wear of the space bearing retainer. The paper aims to clarify the friction and wear behaviors of polyimide bearing retainer under point-contact condition.

Space bearing retainers were cut into flat specimens and the tribological behaviors of the specimens were studied under point-contact condition using a friction and wear testing machine. Different sliding velocities and normal loads were used to simulate the running state of space bearing retainer. The wear behaviors of the space bearing retainer were analyzed by SEM and white light interferometer.

The friction coefficient of the polyimide composites decreased with increase in sliding velocity from 1  to 5 mm/s. Moreover, with increase in sliding velocity and normal load, the wear rate of the polyimide composites decreased and increased, respectively. Moreover, the wear behaviors of the polyimide composites were mainly determined by the combined actions of ploughing friction and adhesive friction. The lubricating properties of transfer film and wear debris were limited under point-contact condition.

The paper includes implications for the understanding of the wear mechanism of the polyimide composites space bearing retainer under point-contact condition and then to optimize space bearing retainer materials further.

Under point-contact condition, wear debris can hardly participate in the friction process because of limited contact area. Consequently, the wear debris has limited impact on the wear process to decrease the friction and wear.

The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/ILT-01-2020-0017/

The optimal performance of the machinery is based on lubricants that require frequent monitoring and the analysis of characteristics such as chemical content, contamination and viscosity. The application of nanoparticles dispersed lubricant in tribology has received remarkable attention in recent years. This paper aims to investigate the tribological properties of SN500 grade lubricating oil containing garnet nanoparticles.

In this study, 45-nm-sized garnet particles are ultrasonically dispersed in SN500 grade base lubricant oil. The effects of viscosity and additive concentration on tribological properties are investigated using a four-ball tester.

Rolling, reinforcing and film-forming behaviour of dispersed nano-sized garnet additives in the rubbing zone were investigated using scanning electron microscopy equipped with energy dispersive spectroscopy. The results indicate that the garnet additives can improve the wear resistance and resistance to relative motion and decrease the friction coefficient of rubbing steel interface by surface polishing and formation of tribo-film containing Si, C and Mn.

Because of the complex two-phase solid–liquid mixture, there are still limited physical understandings of the friction and wear reduction mechanisms. Therefore, the present research was undertaken to interpret the possible phenomena.

The purpose of this study is to process the wettability surface of the ZrO₂ ceramics to improve their surface friction performance.

Microtexture was processed on the surface of ZrO₂ ceramics using a femtosecond laser. The three-dimensional texture morphology, surface contact angle, friction curve and wear morphology were measured by the laser confocal microscope, the contact angle meter, the reciprocating friction and wear tester and the scanning electron microscope, respectively. Based on Wenzel and partial impalement models, a geometric model of micro pits is established to study the influence mechanism of micro pit depth, diameter and distribution density on wettability and to analyze the relationship between surface wettability and tribological properties.

The results show that changing the geometric characteristics of the texture will lead to a change in the solid-liquid contact mode, and then lead to a change of in the surface contact angle. Wettability is an essential factor that affects the reduction of surface friction. The construction of a reasonable texture can enhance the surface hydrophilicity, which is conducive to the formation of a lubricating film on the ceramic surface, thereby reducing abrasive and adhesive wear, and improving the wear resistance of the ZrO₂ ceramic surface.

The results provide a theoretical reference for femtosecond laser surface texture wettability regulation and tribological performance improvement.

The purpose of this paper is to study a new liquid-phase assisted texture treatment method to improve the tribological properties of 304 stainless steel.

Three groups of textured type (KY, KJ and YJ) were prepared on 304 stainless steel surface using laser circular and cross scanning method in air and liquid assisted condition. The surface morphology and element content of test samples were measured with scanning electron microscope, energy spectrum. Then, the tribological test was carried out using MWF-500 reciprocating friction and wear testing machine under dry and oil lubrication condition.

The experimental results showed that the textured surface of laser processing in air was obviously blackened, and the oxygen content was increased from 16.9% to 24%. These cases did not occur on liquid-assisted laser textured surface, which induced a better wettability and surface texture processing quality. For friction test, the friction coefficient of cross-scanning textured surface prepared in assisted liquid (YJ) was the smallest. It is reduced by 55% in oil lubrication case compared to the original surface (YS). The cross-scanning textured surface prepared in air (KJ) was a little worse in friction coefficient and a little better in wear quantity than the cross-scanning textured surface prepared in assisted liquid (YJ). It is indicated that the laser processing surface with assisted liquid has obvious advantages in surface texture quality and interfacial tribological property. The main reason is that the assisted liquid plays a role in cooling and protecting action of the machined surface. The bubbles, generated at the solid–liquid interface because of the laser heat effect, scatter the laser beam and carry out the processed melt meanwhile. The lubricating medium is easier to penetrate and store in the contact interfaces because of the higher surface textured performance and wettability.

The main contribution of this work is in providing a new surface texture processing method that has a better surface micropits quality and interfacial tribology regulation ability.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the operating characteristics of gallium-based liquid metals (GLMs) by directly adding them as lubricants in real mechanical equipment.

This paper conducts an analysis of the rotor-bearing system under GLM lubrication using a constructed test rig, focusing on vibration signals, surface characteristics of the friction pair, contact resistance and temperature rise features.

The study reveals that GLM can effectively improve the lubrication condition of the tribo-pair, leading to a more stable vibration signal in the system. Surface analysis demonstrates that GLM can protect the sample surface from wear, and phase separation occurs during the experimental process. Test results of contact resistance indicate that, in addition to enhancing the interfacial conductivity, GLM also generates a fluid dynamic pressure effect. The high thermal conductivity and anti-wear effects of GLM can reduce the temperature rise of the tribo-pair, but precautions should be taken to prevent oxidation and the loss of its fluidity.

The overall operating characteristics of the rotor-bearing system under GLM lubrication were investigated to provide new ideas for the lubrication of the rotor-bearing system.

The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/ILT-03-2024-0067/

This paper aims to prevent oil starvation and improve the service life of the rolling bearings.

A thrust ball bearing with magnetic circuit structure is proposed for ferrofluid lubrication. With the aid of magnetic field, ferrofluid can be maintained in the contact area of rolling bodies to delay lubricant loss. Experiments are performed to ensure the validity of the designed bearing.

Compared with conventional lubricant, service life of the ferrofluid lubricated bearing can be prolonged under magnetic field. In addition, with a proper magnetic field distribution, lubricant starvation may be limited under the conditions of present experiments.

This work provides a method to control the starved lubrication of rolling bearings with restricted lubricant supply.

The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/ILT-04-2020-0132/

LONG before man learnt to make fire by the friction of wood, he experienced the burden of friction in dragging home his kill. Perhaps it is not too fanciful to suppose that the torn sides of his beast gave the first solid lubricant. Blood and mutton fat were seriously recommended as lubricants for church bell trunnions as recently as the 17th century. Indoed we still reckon fatty acids the best of all boundary lubricants. The range of man's activities has increased enormously in the present century, and particularly in the last few decades. Men have circled the earth in space; a space ship is on its way to examine another planet; terrestrial man is boring to the bottom of the earth's crust; others have descended to the depths of the ocean, and oven established a home on the floor of the Mediterranean, Speeds have increased by factors of thousands, temperatures range from near absolute zero to thousands of degrees; and a new environment of high‐intensity nuclear radiation has been created. Still, objects must move over and along each other in these exotic conditions; and to a large extent solid lubricants can provide the answer to the frictional problems.