Tribological behavior of Al-based self-lubricating composites

Abstract

Aluminum-based composites containing either SiC (Al10%SiC) as the hard phase or a combination of SiC and MoS₂ (Al10%SiC4%MoS₂) have been synthesized following stir casting route. To overcome the poor wetting characteristics, magnesium was added in one of the composites (Al10%SiC4%MoS₂4%Mg) to improve the bonding between matrix and second phase. The results suggested an enhancement in hardness and strength of the composite containing SiC–MoS₂ and Mg, thus indicating the effectiveness of Mg addition in improving the interfacial bonding strength. Tribological performance of the composites has been examined by carrying out pin-on-disk wear tests under dry sliding conditions at different normal loads of 9.8, 14.7, 19.6, and 24.5 N and at a constant sliding speed of 1 m/s. Both the friction coefficient and the wear rate have been found to reduce with addition of MoS₂; however, bonding between the matrix and reinforcements was not good. Al10%SiC4%MoS₂4%Mg has shown the best tribological performance at all the loads in terms of the lowest friction coefficient and the lowest wear rate. The wear mechanism has been found to be a combination of adhesion and abrasion as indicated by the presence of some abrasive grooves and delaminated flakes at the worn surface and the X-ray examination of wear debris for all the materials used in the present investigation.     

Synthesis and tribological properties of AA5052-base insitu composites

Abstract

It is important to optimize the properties of a material for a particular application, hence, to find the suitable material for tribological applications, the wear and friction behaviour of AA5052 in situ composites with different kind of reinforcements have been investigated. For present study, three in situ formed composites have been produced with different reinforcements namely Al₃Zr, ZrB₂ and combination of both (Al₃Zr + ZrB₂) by direct melt reaction (DMR) technique. The as-cast composites and base alloy have been characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), optical microscopy, electron microscopy, tensile testing, hardness and dry sliding wear and friction tests. XRD results indicate the successful formation of second phase reinforcement particles in all composites. Wear test results indicate that the cumulative volume loss increases with an increase in sliding distance while coefficient of friction shows a fluctuating tendency, whereas with increasing applied load, wear rate shows an increasing trend while coefficient of friction shows decreasing trend. The variation of wear rate with composites indicates that the composite with multiple reinforcement (Al₃Zr + ZrB₂) has lowest wear rate among all as-cast composites and base alloy, while coefficient of friction is higher. The responsible mechanisms concerned with wear and friction results have been discussed in detail with the help of the observation on worn surface analysis by scanning electron microscope (SEM) and 3D-profilometer. All tribological results have been correlated with the microstructural properties, strength parameters and bulk hardness of the composites.     

Study on the Tribological Properties of Carbon Fabric Reinforced Phenolic Composites Filled with Nano-Al2O3

Carbon fabric reinforced phenolic (CFRP) composites filled with nano-Al₂O₃ were prepared by a dip-coating and heat molding process and the tribological properties of the resulting composites under different sliding conditions were investigated systematically on a block-on-ring test rig. The worn surfaces were observed in a scanning electron microscope (SEM) to understand the mechanism. Nano-Al₂O₃ particles, as the filler, were effective in reducing the friction coefficient and wear rate of the CFRP composites. The steady state friction coefficient of the CFRP composites filled with 4 wt.% nano-Al₂O₃ particles was about 65.5% of that of unfilled CFRP composites, and the wear rate, in this case, was about 74.7% of that of unfilled CFRP composites. Tribological tests under different sliding conditions revealed that the filled CFRP composites seemed to be more suitable than unfilled CFRP composites for tribological applications under higher sliding speed and load. Moreover, the wear resistances of the unfilled and filled CFRP composites were found to be related to the stability of the transfer film on the counterface.     

Effect of the Rubber Components on the Mechanical Properties and Braking Performance of Organic Friction Materials

Vegetable oil modified phenolic resin (PF) mixed with four kinds of rubber modifiers, i.e., styrene butadiene rubber, styrene butadiene 2-vinyl pyridine rubber, nitrile butadiene rubber, and carboxyl nitrile butadiene rubber (CNBR), were used as matrices for organic friction materials. The mechanical and thermal degradation properties of all of the blends were investigated. Friction and braking tests of the organic friction materials based on the different matrices and reinforced with hybrid fibers were carried out. The results showed that the resin was most compatible with CNBR; the CNBR/PF blend possessed much higher impact and toughness, and the friction material based on this blend as a matrix exhibited better friction and braking performance. It was concluded that CNBR, the rubber with the most reactive groups, resulted in better mechanical properties of the friction material, and hence optimized the friction, wear and braking performances.     

Studies on wettability, mechanical and tribological properties of the polyurethane composites filled with talc

A series of polyurethane (PU)/talc composites modified by a high molecular weight hydroxyl-terminated polydimethylsiloxane (HTPDMS) were prepared. The effect of the talc content on the mechanical, wettability and tribological properties of the PU composites was studied. Tensile strength of the PU composites reached to the maximum after adding 5% talc. The water contact angles (CA) of the original surfaces and worn surfaces of the polyurethane composites were measured. The experimental results indicated that the contact angles of the worn surface increased after friction. The friction and wear experiments were tested on a MRH-3 model ring-on-block test rig at different sliding speeds and loads under dry sliding and water lubrication. Experimental results revealed that the talc contributed to largely improve the tribological properties of the PU composites. The coefficient of friction (COF) of the composites increased with increasing talc. Scanning electron microscopic (SEM) investigations showed that the worn surfaces of the talc filled PU composites were smoother than pure polyurethane under given load and sliding speed.     

Friction and Wear Behaviors of Surface-Modified Carbon Fabric/Epoxy Resin Composites

Carbon fabric (CF) was pretreated by air-plasma bombardment and then further modified by deposition of polydopamine on the surface of the pretreated CF. Epoxy resin composites reinforced by unmodified or surface-modified carbon fabric were fabricated. The friction and wear behaviors of the resulting composites were evaluated in a ring-on-block contact mode. The flexural strength and Rockwell hardness of the composites were also evaluated. The morphologies of the worn surfaces of the unmodified and modified composites were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy. The surface treatment increased the surface roughness and changed the surface topography of the CF, which contributed to enhancing the interfacial adhesion of the composites and thus improved the mechanical properties and tribo-performance. The friction and wear properties of both the unfilled and filled composites were highly dependent on the load and sliding velocity. Moreover, the results were supplemented with scanning electron micrographs to help understand the possible wear mechanisms.     

Dry sliding wear characteristics of in situ synthesized Al-TiC composites

Abstract

Aluminum-based composites containing 0.06, 0.09, 0.12 fractions of in situ-synthesized TiC (Titanium carbide) particles have been prepared through in-melt reaction from Ai–SiC–Ti system following a simple and cost-effective stir-casting route. The TiC forms by the reaction of Ti with carbon which is released by SiC at temperatures greater than 1073 K. However, some amount of titanium aluminide (Al₃Ti) is also formed. The formation of TiC has been confirmed through X-ray diffraction studies of the composite. The hardness and tensile strength have been found to increase with increasing amount of TiC. The friction and wear characteristics of the composites have been determined by carrying out dry sliding tests on pin-on-disc machine at different loads of 9.8 N, 19.6 N, 29.4 N, 39.2 N at a constant sliding speed of the 1 m/s speed. The wear rate i.e. volume loss per unit sliding distance has been found to increase linearly with increasing load following Archard’s law. However, both the wear rate and friction coefficient have been observed to decrease with increasing amount of TiC in the composite. This has been attributed to (i) a relatively higher hardness of composites containing relatively higher amount of TiC resulting in a relatively lower real area of contact and (ii) the formation of a well-compacted mechanically mixed layer of compacted wear debris on the worn surface which might have inhibited metal–metal contact and resulted in a lower wear rate as well as friction coefficient.     

The Effects of Copper and Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) on Thermal Conductivity and Tribological Behavior of Polyoxymethylene (POM) Composites

The effects of copper and polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) on thermal conductivity and tribological behavior of polyoxymethylene (POM) composites were investigated by a hot disk thermal analyzer and an M-2000 friction and abrasion testing machine. The results indicated that the incorporation of 3 wt% copper particles into POM had little effect on the thermal conductivity of POM composites, but led to the decreased friction coefficient and wear rate of composites. As the copper content was increased, the thermal conductivity increased and reached 0.477 W m^?1 K^?1 for POM-25% Cu composite, an increase of 35.9% compared with that of unfilled POM, while the friction coefficient and wear rate of composites also increased. The incorporation of PTFE into POM-Cu composites had a negligible effect on the thermal conductivity of composites, but helped in the formation of a continuous and uniform transfer film and resulted in the reduction in the friction coefficient and wear rate of composites. The POM-15% Cu-10% PTFE composite, with a value of wear rate similar to unfilled POM possessed higher thermal conductivity and lower friction coefficient.     

Effect of Interfacial Structure on Crystallization Behavior of Polypropylene/Polyolefin Elastomer/Barium Sulfate Ternary Composites

In this paper, interfacial structure induced development of crystallization behavior of polypropylene (PP)/polyolefin elastomer (POE)/barium sulfate (BaSO₄) ternary composites was studied by DSC. Two kinds of PP (copolymer and homopolymer) were used. The compatibility between PP and POE had a distinct influence on nucleation and crystal growth of PP in PP/POE binary composites. The crystallization rate of PP homopolymer increased because of the heterogeneous nucleation by POE, while the crystallinity of PP homopolymer decreased because of an inhibition effect of the hexane side chains in POE. BaSO₄ particles acted as heterogeneous nucleating agents of PP in ternary composites. The dispersion of BaSO₄, controlled by interfacial design, had a distinct influence on the nucleation activity of BaSO₄ in ternary composites. Interfacial structure had the same effect on nucleation activity of BaSO₄ particles and crystallization rate of PP matrix in PP copolymer ternary composites as those in PP homopolymer ternary composites.     

Friction and wear properties of the co-deposited Ni-SiC nanocomposite coating

Ni-SiC nanocomposite coatings were produced by electrodeposition from a nickel sulfate bath containing SiC nanoparticles with an average particle size of 30 nm. The characteristics of the coatings were assessed by scanning electron microscopy and microhardness test. The friction and wear performance of Ni-SiC nanocomposite coatings and Ni film were comparatively investigated sliding against Si₃N₄ ceramic balls under non-lubricated conditions. The results indicated that compared to Ni film, Ni-SiC nanocomposite coating exhibited enhanced microhardness and wear resistance. The effect of SiC nanoparticles on the friction and wear resistance is discussed in detail.     

Friction and Wear Behavior of Polyamide 66/Poly(vinylidene fluoride) Blends

The tribological performance of PA66 and PVDF blends was investigated by a block‐on ring sliding friction and wear tester. The appropriate amount of PVDF can decrease the friction coefficient and improve the wear resistance of PA66. Moreover, the appropriate amount of PA66 can improve the wear resistance of PVDF. SEM analysis shows that PVDF is noncompatible with PA66, and the blend presents a two‐phase structure. A smooth worn surface is a main reason for improving the frictional and wear properties of the PA66/PVDF blend. Besides, slight debris is an important factor in improving the wear resistance of the PA66/PVDF blend. FT‐IR analysis shows that the oxidation and degradation behavior of PVDF is effectively controlled in the PA66/PVDF blends. Therefore, the blend of PA66 and PVDF is a potential polymer material for tribological applications.     

Tribological Properties of MACs-APS Films

Multiply-alkylated cyclopentanes (MACs) with different molecular structure were deposited on single crystal silicon wafers coated with a thin aminopropyltrimethoxylsilane (APS) film as an adhesive layer to form MACs-APS films. The thickness, wetting behavior and nano-scale morphologies of the films were characterized by means of ellipsometry, contact angle measurement, and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The friction and wear behaviors of the thin films sliding against a Si₃N₄ ball were examined on a UMT-2MT tribometer in a ball-on-disk contact mode. The worn surfaces of the MACs-APS films and the counterpart Si₃N₄ balls were investigated with a scanning electron microscope (SEM). It was found that the water contact angles on the MACs-APS film increased with the MACs alkyl chain-length. The MACs-APS film exhibited higher load-carrying capacity and better friction reduction and anti-wear behavior as compared with the APS film. This is suggested to occur because the APS acts as a strongly bonded lubricant phase and MACs as a mobile lubricant phase in the MACs-APS film. The increase of the chain-length of the alkyl substituent in the MACs compounds resulted in improved tribological properties of MACs-APS film. It is suggested that the longer alkyl chains are much more flexible and can dissipate the mechanical energy during the shearing process more easily than the short chain compounds. MACs with the longer chains have stronger chain-chain interactions and the larger MAC molecules have stronger intermolecular interactions, resulting in the good tribological properties of MACs-APS film.     

Friction,adhesion and wear durability of an ultra-thin perfluoropolyether-coated 3-glycidoxypropyltrimethoxy silane self-assembled monolayer on a Si surface

The tribological properties, such as coefficient of friction, adhesion and wear durability of an ultra-thin (<10?nm) dual-layer film on a silicon surface were investigated. The dual-layer film was prepared by dip-coating perfluoropolyether (PFPE), a liquid polymer lubricant, as the top layer onto a 3-glycidoxypropyltrimethoxy silane self-assembled monolayer (epoxy SAM)-coated Si substrate. PFPE contains hydroxyl groups at both ends of its backbone chain, while the SAM surface contains epoxy groups, which terminate at the surface. A combination of tests involving contact angle measurements, ellipsometry, atomic force microscopy (AFM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) was used to study the physical and chemical properties of the film. The coefficient of friction and wear durability of the film were investigated using a ball-on-disk tribometer (4?mm diameter Si₃N₄ ball as the counterface at a nominal contact pressure of ～330?MPa). AFM was used to investigate the adhesion forces between a sharp Si₃N₄ tip and the film. This dual-layer film had a very low coefficient of friction, adhesion and wear when compared to epoxy SAM-coated Si only or bare Si surface. The reasons for the improved tribological performance are explained in terms of the lubrication characteristics of PFPE molecules, low surface energy of PFPE, covalent bonding between PFPE and epoxy SAM coupled with reduced mobile PFPE. The low adhesion forces coupled with high wear durability show that the film has applications as a wear resistant and anti-stiction film for microcomponents made from Si.     

Composites of polyester + glass fiber residues vs. composites with mineral fillers

Polymer composites, such as those composed of a polyester, glass fibers (GFs), and mineral fillers (e.g. CaCO₃), pose a threat to the environment because of the growing amount of residues and due to difficulties in their recycling. Therefore, we have studied effects of incorporation of (polyester?+?GFs) waste material as a filler into virgin composites. Two types of polyester?+?glass fiber composites were developed using hot compression molding, one of them with recycled (polyester?+?glass fiber) material obtained via knife or ball milling; the other, a control group, contained CaCO₃, a traditional filler in this field. Dynamic friction and wear rate were determined using a pin-on-disk tribometer and a stylus profilometer, respectively. As expected, the presence of the residues significantly decreases dynamic friction and wear rate when compared to CaCO₃, since the main constituent of the residues is a polymeric material. Thus, polyester?+?glass fiber composite residues are a candidate for a partial substitution of CaCO₃. This should lower the environmental contamination caused by discarding the residues as well as provide composites with lower wear rates.     

Structural and Tribological Properties of Polytetrafluoroethylene Composites Filled with Glass Fiber and Al2O3 in Atomic Oxygen Environment

Effects of atomic oxygen (AO) irradiation on the structural and tribological behaviors of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) composites filled with both glass fibers and Al₂O₃ were investigated in a ground-based simulation facility, in which the average energy of AO was about 5 eV and the flux was 5.0 × 10¹⁵/cm² s. It was found that AO irradiation first induced the degradation of PTFE molecular chains on the sample surface, and then resulted in a change of surface morphology. The addition of Al₂O₃ filler significantly increased the AO resistance property of PTFE composites. Friction and wear tests indicated that AO irradiation affected the wear rate and increased the friction coefficient of specimens. The PTFE composite containing 10% Al₂O₃ exhibit the best AO resistance and lower wear rate after long time AO irradiation.     

Friction and wear of rare earths modified carbon fibers filled PTFE composite under dry sliding condition

Carbon fibers (CF) were surface treated with air-oxidation and rare earths (RE), respectively. The friction and wear properties of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) composites filled with differently surface treated carbon fibers, sliding against GCr15 steel under dry sliding condition, were investigated on a block-on-ring M-2000 tribometer. Experimental results revealed that RE treatment largely reduced the friction and wear of CF reinforced PTFE (CF/PTFE) composites. The RE treated composite exhibited the lowest friction and wear under dry sliding. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) investigation of worn surfaces and transfer films of CF/PTFE composites showed that RE treated CF/PTFE composites had the smoothest worn surface under given load and sliding speed, and a continuous and uniform transfer film formed on the counterface. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) study of carbon fiber surface showed that the oxygen concentration was obviously increased after RE treatment, and more carboxyl groups were introduced onto CF surfaces after RE treatment. The increase in the amount of oxygen-containing groups increased the interfacial adhesion between CF and PTFE matrix, and accordingly increased the tribological properties of the composite.     

Phase diagram and equations of state of BaSO4

Abstract

The phase diagram and equations of state of BaSO₄, were determined up to 29 GPa and 1000 K in a resistance-heating type diamond anvil cell. At room temperature, barite is the stable form of BaSO₄ which undergoes a reversible phase transition at 10 GPa. The high-pressure form is tentatively determined to be triclinic. At high temperature, a similar phase transition takes place in BaSO₄, but at a pressure higher than that at room temperature. Our results indicate that the phase boundary of the two polymorphs in BasO₄ has a positive slope (dT/dP) of 90 K/GPa. The equations of state for both barite and its high-pressure phase are reported.     

Tribological Properties of Thermosetting Polyimide/TiO2 Nanocomposites Under Dry Sliding and Water-Lubricated Conditions

Thermosetting polyimide(PI)-based nanocomposites containing various contents of nano-TiO₂ were fabricated via an in situ polymerization of monomer reactants (PMR) process. Under dry sliding and water-lubricated conditions the friction and wear behaviors of the PMR PI and its nanocomposites were evaluated and compared. The addition of nano-TiO₂ in PI contributed to improving the friction and wear behavior considerably under dry sliding. The highest change ratio of wear rate was 61% with the optimum nano-TiO₂ content of 3%, while the highest change of friction coefficient was 60% with the optimum nano-TiO₂ content of 9%. Under water-lubricated condition, contrarily, the addition of nano-TiO₂ in PI does harm to the tribological properties. Namely, the friction coefficient of the nanocomposites increased with increasing the nano-TiO₂ content. These results may be caused by the following facts: the hardness of the PI matrix would be increased by adding the nano-TiO₂ reducing the ability of elastic deformation of the nanocomposites; accordingly, the poor elastic deformation hindered the formation of a water-lubrication film on the surface. An investigation on the wear tracks indicated that the wear mechanism of PI/TiO₂ nanocomposites under dry sliding condition proceeded from fatigue wear to a combination of fatigue wear and abrasive wear with increasing the mass fraction of nano-TiO₂.     

Study on the Morphological and Mechanical Properties of Nylon 6/ABS/Nano-SiO2 Composites

The mechanical properties and morphology of the composites of nylon 6, acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) rubber, and nano-SiO₂ particles were examined as a function of the nano-SiO₂ content. A mixture with separation and encapsulation microstructures existed in the nylon 6/ABS/nano-SiO₂ at lower nano-SiO₂ content, and ABS and nano-SiO₂ improved the toughness synergistically, while obvious agglomeration appeared at higher nano-SiO₂ content and the impact strength decreased. Moreover, the addition of nano-SiO₂ particles also affected the dispersion of the rubber phase, resulting in the appearance of smaller rubber particles. The deformation and toughening mechanisms of the composites were also investigated; they resulted from rubber voiding, crack forking, and plastic deformation of the matrix.     

Effects of carbon fiber surface treatment on the tribological properties of 2D woven carbon fabric/polyimide composites

Polyacrylonitrile (PAN)-based carbon fabric (CF) was modified with strong HNO₃ oxidation and then introduced into polyimide (PI) composites. The friction and wear properties of the carbon fabric reinforced polyimide composites (CFRP), sliding against GCr15 stainless steel rings, were investigated on an M-2000 model ring-on-block test rig under dry sliding. Experimental results revealed that the carbon fiber surface treatment largely reduced the friction and wear of the CFRP. Compared with the untreated ones, the surface-modified CF can enhance the tribological properties of CFRP efficiently due to the improved adhesion between the CF and the PI matrix. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) study of the carbon fiber surface showed that the fiber surface became rougher and the oxygen concentration increased greatly after surface treatment, which improved the adhesion between the fiber and the PI matrix and improved the friction-reduction and anti-wear properties of the CFRP. An erratum to this article can be found at