The synergistic lubricating mechanism of Sn-Ag-Cu and C60 on the worn surface of M50 self-lubricating material at elevated loads.

Abstract The potential tribological properties of load-adaptive M50-based self-lubricating composites under various loads were investigated. Pure M50 and M50 composite containing 10 wt%(50Sn40Ag10Cu) (MSAC) samples were prepared by spark plasma sintering. Besides, samples M50 and MSAC, which were all surface-scattered with C60 microparticles, were defined as M-C and MSAC-C, respectively, and the tribological tests of M50, MSAC, M-C, and MSAC-C sliding against Si 3 N 4 ball from 2 to 18N at 0.2 m/s-350 °C were performed. Results show that MSAC-C exhibits the excellent friction and wear performance within the range of loads. Analysis indicates that this phenomenon is mainly due to the formation of a composite lubricating film rich in soft metal lubricant Sn-Ag-Cu and C60 microparticles. Graphical abstract Image 1 Highlights • Sn-Ag-Cu provides excellent lubricating properties within the low loads from 2 to 12N. • C60 provides excellent lubricating properties within the high loads from 12 to 18N. • (Sn-Ag-Cu)-C60 has the merit of load-adaptive action to produce good lubrication. • Compounds of Fe 2 O 3 , CuO produced friction process can enhance lubrication capacities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]