Search

This paper reports on the fabrication and tribological performances of surface textured plasma electrolytic oxidized (PEO) coatings containing polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) on aluminum alloy (PEO/PTFE). The ordered arrays of circular dimples were created on PEO ceramic coating surface by laser surface texturing and vacuum penetration of nanosized-PTFE was followed in vacuum chamber. The tribological properties of PEO/PTFE and textured PEO/PTFE coatings were evaluated at load of 5–25 N using a UMT-4 tribometer under dry condition. The results shown that surface texturing can effectively reduce the friction coefficient of contact interface for 72,000 cycles at 5 N and greatly improve the bearing capacity of PEO/PTFE coating, because of the constantly compensation of lubricating PTFE film in the wear track. This study established a new approach to fabricate self-lubricating ceramic PEO coating on aluminum alloys.

Metal matrix self-lubricating composites exhibit outstanding performance in various environments, reaching the required properties by modifying the reinforcement–matrix ratio and the production method. The present research investigated the effects on tribological performance and electrical properties of different pressure loads, maintaining pressing time, and sintering temperatures during the production of copper–10 wt% tungsten disulfide (Cu–WS2) composite via powder metallurgy. Moreover, additional thermo-mechanical treatments were evaluated, namely second pressing and second sintering steps. The density and the hardness of the produced composites were measured, as well as the electrical resistivity, considering sliding electrical contacts as possible employment. The outputs of the wear tests were considered together with the analysis of the wear track via scanning electron microscopy and confocal laser scanning microscopy to understand wear mechanisms. Different production routes were compared in terms of electrical resistivity, wear coefficient, and specific wear rate, calculated by the confocal laser scanning microscopy, and friction coefficient, measured during the wear test. The main results highlighted that the increase in sintering temperature was detrimental to the hardness and tribological properties; higher load and additional pressing step determined a general improvement in the tested properties.

The surfaces of artificial joints are susceptible to premature wear which reduces their service life leading to the increased risk of revision arthroplasty. Tribological coatings having low coefficients of friction (CoF) and which are also biocompatible are therefore required to minimise such risks.Metal matrix composite (MMC) coatings exhibiting a modified toughness structure, thus reducing the potential to crack were successfully fabricated by cold spray (CS) technology. The coatings comprised of an ultra-low wear polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) + alumina (Al2O3) composite, firstly delineated by Burris and Sawyer in 2006, were prepared on cold sprayed substrate and the functionality of such coatings in terms of enhanced frictional properties was investigated.In this study, PTFE + Al2O3 thin film coatings were prepared by physical vapour deposition (PVD) and incorporated with cold sprayed MMC coatings to produce a damage tolerant coating system designed to extend the service life of artificial movable joint surfaces.Surface characterisation analysis indicated the formation of a PTFE–Al2O3 nanocomposite forming between the PTFE and Al2O3. This composite thin film exhibited excellent friction reducing ability up to an applied load of 7 N. Regardless of whether the Ti–6Al is manufactured by a layer-by-layer approach or co-sputtering method, the CoF is reduced to below 0.1 at the start of the test. Furthermore, the results reveal that the PVD sputtered PTFE + Al2O3 thin film functionalises the cold sprayed surface by offering a self-lubricating effect and that PVD combined with CS is reliable for devising material systems operating in high-wear applications. Keywords: PVD, PTFE, Al2O3, Damage tolerant coating, Self-lubricating

Hybrids of fluorinated graphite/MoS2 (FGr@MoS2) were prepared via a hydrothermal method and used as lubricating additives to take full advantage of the synergy between FGr and MoS2 in carbon-fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP). The results show a 21.6% reduction in the friction coefficient compared to the neat sample when the CFRP was filled with 1.2 wt.% FGr@MoS2 hybrids. The addition of 1.5 wt.% FGr@MoS2 resulted in a 60.9% reduction in the wear rate compared to neat CFRP. For the 1.2 wt.% FGr@MoS2-reinforced CFRP, the friction coefficient maintained a relatively steady value of approximately 0.46 at various temperatures, indicating frictional stability. However, the wear rate increased by 13.95% at 60 °C compared to that at room temperature. The interfacial bonding force between the FGr@MoS2 hybrid and the matrix, as well as the adhesive force with the surface of the counterpart ball, is improved, caused by the heterostructure of FGr@MoS2, resulting in enhanced mechanical properties and formation efficiency as well as the transfer film on the surface of the counterpart ball. The results suggest that an FGr@MoS2 micro-nano structure is a promising additive to be applied in polymer tribology.

Here, new insight into amorphization induced by deformation at ferrite-cementite nanointerfaces in a tribolayer is put forward, and an atomistic investigation into interfacial effects on amorphization is carried out using molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and spherical aberration-corrected high-resolution TEM (HRTEM) characterization. Nanoamorphous particles mix with oxide particles attached to the wear surface, which provide a lubrication state during dry sliding friction of pearlite steels. HRTEM images and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) maps show alternating ferrite-amorphous-ferrite lamellar features in the tribolayer. MD simulation results show that ferrite-cementite nanointerfaces with the Bagaryatskii orientation play important roles in the above amorphization, which can be exposited by the deformation response between the ferrite and cementite being inconsistent. A high density of dislocation defects destroys the ferrite-cementite interfaces to create an amorphous nucleation region, and after nucleation, the amorphization will expand into the cementite. This study lays the theoretical basis for revealing the mechanism of cementite amorphization in the tribolayer and will provide new ideas for designing and manufacturing amorphous self-lubricating films or solid materials.

The unfavorable environmental conditions of certain tribological systems, such as operation at high temperatures or under vacuum, set the need to replace liquid with solid lubricants. Multi-Wall-Carbon Nanotubes (MWCNTs) have been emphasized as a very effective solid lubricant. The particles have been used to create self-lubricating materials by acting as reinforcement phase in composites or as solid-lubricant coating that works in conjunction with textured surfaces to prevent the removal of particles from the contact. However, both approaches are restricted to some extent. In the case of composites, the solid lubricant concentration is limited so as not to influence the mechanical stability of the final component. For coated surface structures, the textured surfaces can degrade during the experiment. The present study focuses on the combination of these approaches in order to create enhanced self-lubricating surfaces with MWCNTs as the solid lubricant. A custom-made ring-on-block tribometer is used to study the behavior of laser textured MWCNT-coated and MWCNT-reinforced nickel matrix composites under the conditions of unidirectional sliding in conformal contact. It is shown that the combination of both approaches allows for a maximum 4-fold reduction in friction and a 115-fold reduction in wear rate compared to the reference. Additionally, the lubrication mechanism of the MWCNTs is investigated in more detail and a structural degradation model of the mechanically stressed MWCNTs is proposed. Our results highlight the integrated solution as a suitable approach for self-lubricating surfaces subjected to unidirectional sliding.

In this study, micro-arc oxidation (MAO) of aluminum 6061 alloy was carried out within a silicate base electrolyte containing 0.75 g/L of cellulose, and the tribological properties of the coating were investigated. The as-prepared coating was detected by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), a scanning electron microscope (SEM) and an energy-dispersive spectrometer (EDS), respectively. The results suggested that cellulose filled in the microcracks and micropores, or it existed by cross-linking with Al3+. In addition, it was found that the cellulose had little effect on the coating hardness. However, the thickness and roughness of the coating were improved with the increase in cellulose concentration. Moreover, the ball-on-disk test showed that the friction coefficient, weight loss and wear rate of the MAO coating decreased with the increase in cellulose concentration. Further, the performances of the coatings obtained in the same electrolyte, under different preserved storage periods, were compared, revealing that the cellulose was uniformly dispersed in the electrolyte and improved the tribological properties of the MAO coating within 30 days.

1Cr13MoS is a kind of material with excellent corrosion resistance and good mechanical properties. Meanwhile, it also has good self-lubricating properties due to the presence of molybdenum disulfide phase inside the material and can be used as friction pair material in the pump. In this paper, the hardness, microstructure, distribution of the self-lubricating phase, friction and wear properties of 1Cr13MoS after heat treatment were studied. After quenching at 1000 &deg, C and tempering at 520 &deg, C, the hardness of 1Cr13MoS prepared by pyrometallurgy is higher than that of HB 350. The tempering sorbite structure is evenly distributed, and the self-lubricating phase MoS2 is discretely distributed on the substrate with the average size is about 6 &mu, m, which leads to good friction and wear properties. It is worth noting that the 1Cr13MoS is actually operated as friction pair material on the water pump and has a significant wear improvement effect compared to the conventional 12% chrome steel series.