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This work investigated the tribological performance of (Ta/ZrN)n multilayer coatings against ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) material. Three multilayer coatings with different designs were deposited on Ti-6Al-4 V substrate and subjected to wear testing under lubrication of diluted bovine calf serum. The results revealed an improvement in wear resistance of (Ta/ZrN)n multilayer coatings and low coefficient of friction under an applied load of 1 N. High hardness, excellent biotribological properties, and low residual stresses were obtained in the multilayer coating with the thinnest ZrN as the topmost layer of 100 nm. This work demonstrates that Ta/ZrN multilayers can be promising coatings for prosthesis applications.

This work aimed to study the microstructure, wear and corrosion resistance of supermartensitic stainless steel (SMSS). Heat treatment applied to samples consists of quenching after austenitization at elevated temperature (1250 °C) followed by a double tempering at 650 °C. Conventional mechanical properties, scanning electron microscopy (SEM/EDS) analysis and X-ray diffraction methods (XRD) are used to analyze the microstructure and to evaluate the wear mechanisms. The potentiodynamic polarisation and the electrochemical impedance spectroscoopy (EIS) methods are used to evaluate the corrosion resistance in both the 0.5M H2SO4 and 0.5M NaCl aggressive media. The microstructure is mainly composed with tempered lath martensite, small quantity of retained austenite and carbides. Oxidative and abrasive wear dominated the wear process in dry condition. During the corrosion process, the same mechanism of degradation was found in both the 0.5M NaCl and 0.5M H2SO4.

Multilayer thin coatings (~3 µm in thickness) were deposited using reactive radio frequency magnetron sputtering on Ti-6Al-4 V substrate for biomaterial applications. Films are a combination of hard zirconium nitride with pure tantalum, used to manage interfacial stress and to avoid crack growth. Alternating hard/ductile material is a biomimetic design inspired by nature (nacre-inspired materials). Tribocorrosion tests were performed in Hank’s solution at 37 ◦◦C, under open circuit potential by using a ball-on-disk reciprocating tribometer. A tendency to high resistance against corrosion was found for all the samples. Coatings with a top 100 nm thick ZrN layer showed more noble potential as well as a reduction of both the friction coefficient and the wear rate during the sliding phase. The principal wear mechanism is related to a tribocorrosion layer formation.

Over the past few decades, polyetheretherketone (PEEK) artificial bone joint materials faced problems of poor wear resistance and easy infection, which are not suitable for the growing demand of bone joints. The tribological behavior and wear mechanism of polyetheretherketone (PEEK)/polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) with black phosphorus (BP) nanosheets have been investigated under dry sliding friction. Compared with pure PEEK, the COF of PEEK/10 wt% PTFE/0.5 wt% BP was reduced by about 73% (from 0.369 to 0.097) and the wear rate decreased by approximately 95% (from 1.0 × 10−4 mm3/(N m) to 5.1 × 10−6 mm3/(N m)) owing to the lubrication of the BP transfer film. Moreover, BP can endow the PEEK composites with excellent biological wettability and antibacterial properties. The antibacterial rate of PEEK/PTFE/BP was assessed to be over 99.9%, which might help to solve the problem of PEEK implant inflammation. After comprehensive evaluation in this research, 0.5 wt% BP nanosheet-filled PEEK/PTFE material displayed the optimum lubrication and antibacterial properties, and thus could be considered as a potential candidate for its application in biomedical materials.

We investigated the tribological behavior of commercialized, fully synthetic engine oil upon the incorporation of reduced graphene oxide in seven different concentrations between 0.01 and 0.2 wt %. Stability of the prepared samples was assessed by turbidimetry and dynamic light scattering measurements, and their tribological properties through a reciprocating tribometer, using a steel ball on special cut steel blocks. The addition of 0.02 wt % of reduced graphene oxide led to an improvement of the tribological behavior compared to the pristine engine oil, by significantly lowering the friction coefficient by 5% in the boundary lubrication regime. Both the surfaces and the reduced graphene oxide additive were thoroughly characterized by microscopic and optical spectroscopy techniques. We also verified that a protective layer was formed between the worn surfaces, due to the presence of reduced graphene oxide. Carbon accumulation and various additive elements such as Ca, Zn, S and P were detected on the rubbing surfaces of both the ball and the block through energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. Finally, it was shown that the wear scar diameter on the surface of the steel ball was lower by 3%, upon testing the engine oil sample containing reduced graphene oxide at concentration 0.02 wt %, compared to the control sample.

Wear behavior of 13Cr5Ni2Mo supermartensitic stainless steel (SMSS) were investigated in air and in argillaceous paste at room temperature. Prior to wear testing, the samples were subjected to two thermal treatments, namely; quenching followed by double tempering. A pin-on-disc test rig was used to conduct the wear test with a tribo-pair consisting of supermartensitic stainless steel sliding against itself. It was observed that the microstructure of the thermally treated samples mainly consisted of tempered martensite and carbides. Wear results showed that oxidative and abrasive wear dominated the wear process of the treated samples in both dry conditions and in argillaceous paste. Additionally corrosion tests were performed in 5.0% NaCl solution via potentiodynamic polarization tests. It was found that the passive film formation provides a good corrosion resistance to the samples.

Purpose This study aims to investigate the tribological characteristics of a Napier-type second piston ring against a cylinder liner in the presence of graphene nano-additives mixed into 5W40 fully synthetic engine oil. Design/methodology/approach Wear tests were carried out in the boundary lubrication condition using a reciprocating tribometer, and real engine tests were performed using a single spark ignition Honda GX 270 test engine for a duration of 75 h. Findings The experimental results of the tribometer tests revealed that the nano-additives formed a layer on the rubbed surfaces of both the piston ring and the cylinder liner. However, this layer was only formed at the top dead center of the cylinder liner during the engine tests. The accumulation of carbon (C) from the graphene was heavily detected on the rubbed surface of piston ring/cylinder liner, mixed with other additive elements such as Ca, Zn, S and P. Overall, the use of graphene nano-additives in engine oil was found to improve the frictional behavior in the boundary and mixed lubrication regimes. Abrasive wear was found to be the main mechanism occurring on the surface of both piston rings and cylinder liners. Originality/value Though many researchers have discussed the potential benefits of graphene as a nano-additive in oil to reduce the friction and wear in laboratory tests using tribometers, to date, no actual engine tests have been performed. In this paper, both tribometer and real engine tests were performed on a piston ring and cylinder liner using a fully formulated oil with and without graphene nano-additives in the boundary lubrication condition. It was found that a graphene nano-additive plays an active role in lowering the coefficient of friction and increasing surface protection and lubrication by forming a protective layer on the rubbing surfaces.

An infinitely variable transmission (IVT) is a system that allows for a continuous (non-discrete) variation (including zero) in transmission ratio between two rotating elements. In this paper, a novel ratcheting-type IVT mechanism is presented and its geometrical design and kinematic analysis are studied in details. The proposed system contains two identical units. Each unit includes a cam with a follower, oscillatory slotted links pivoted at a shaft that can be moved vertically by a hydraulic ram (alterable transmission ratio), and a grooved wheel with an actuating rod. The input rotational motion is converted through each unit to an oscillatory angular motion of controlled amplitude. This resulting motion is rectified using a ratchet to get a unidirectional output rotational motion. Therefore, the system output motion will have a different velocity and acceleration than those of the system input. The kinematic analysis revealed that the transmission ratio can be varied continuously in a range from zero to infinity. The analysis also showed that, for particular transmission ratios, the system gives uniform output (angular velocity and acceleration) for a corresponding uniform input.

The main purpose of this paper is to investigate the tribological performance of the zinc-phosphate- and chromium-coated spheroidal cast iron piston rings in reciprocating tribotest rig with conventional commercial lubricant. Results of the experiments showed that tribofilm was formed both on ring and liner surfaces. Zinc phosphate coating was removed from the ring surface after the experiments. Wear rate of liner-chromium-coated ring pair was lower than the liner-phosphate-coated ring. The friction coefficient of the liner-phosphate-coated ring pair ranged from 0.104 to 0.124, lower than the liner-chromium-coated ring, which ranged from 0.114 to 0.129. Change of average surface roughness was also lower in chromium-coated ring (31%) than the phosphate-coated ring (72%). Test results showed that hard chromium-coated ring had better tribological performance and coating efficiency than the phosphate-coated ring due to wear resistance and lower change of average surface roughness.

Purpose The purpose of this technical paper is to investigate the friction and wear behavior of inexpensive and durable cutting tools, developed for wood machining using duplex treatment. Design/methodology/approach Cr–(WC–Co) coatings were deposited onto carburized low-alloy steel substrate by a reactive magnetron sputtering. The total coating thickness was approximately 2 μm. Unlubricated wear tests have been performed using a disc sample sliding against an alumina ball (Al2O3) and a wood (beech) pin. Findings The paper provides information about the effect of duplex treatment on the surface properties of low-alloy steel against wood and offers practical help for the researchers in coating topic. Originality/value Experimental results showed that sliding wear properties of the selected coatings are strongly dependent on the counter-face material. When tested against alumina balls, the wear mechanisms are oxidative wear followed by a combination of adhesive and abrasive wear, while a combination of an oxidative and adhesive wear was the main wear mechanism observed against a wood pin.