Effect of correlated temperature fluctuations on the phase dynamics in an ultrathin lubricant film

The melting of an ultrathin lubricant film at friction between atomically smooth surfaces is studied with allowance for fluctuations of its temperature, which are described by the Ornstein-Uhlenbeck process. The behavior of the most probable types of shear stresses arising in the lubricant is considered, and phase diagrams for second-and first-order phase transformations (the melting of an amorphous lubricant and that of a crystalline lubricant, respectively) are constructed. It is shown that, in the former case, lubricant temperature fluctuations lead to the formation of a stick-slip friction domain separating the domains of dry and sliding friction, which is typical of first-order transitions. In the latter case, three domains of stick-slip friction arise, which mark the transitions between dry friction and metastable and stable sliding friction. As the time of correlation of lubricant temperature fluctuations gets longer, the temperature of rubbing surfaces rises to the point where sliding friction sets in.     

Stick-slip melting of a boundary lubricant between two rigid surfaces with nanoscale asperities

With a simple mechanical analog of the elastic tribological system, the friction of two rough surfaces is studied using the model of first-order phase transitions. The surfaces rub under boundary friction conditions in the presence of a lubricant layer in between. Stick-slip motion is considered, which is due to periodic phase transitions arising between kinetic friction conditions. It is shown that when rubbing surfaces are rough, a time-varying domain structure with a spatially distributed order parameter occurs in the plane of friction during motion.     

First-order phase transition between the liquidlike and solidlike structures of a boundary lubricant

A thermodynamic model for characterization of the first-order phase transition between the structural states of a boundary lubricant is suggested. It is shown that melting of the lubricant is due both to a rise in its temperature and to shear experienced by friction surfaces when elastic strains (stresses) exceed a critical value. A phase diagram with regions of dry and sliding friction is constructed. Using a mechanical analogue of the tribological system, the dependence of the friction force on the lubricant temperature and relative shear rate of the friction surfaces is analyzed. The observed conditions of stick-slip friction, which is the main reason for friction parts wear, are described. Reasons for stick-slip friction are revealed.     

Tribological system in the boundary friction mode under a periodic external action

A mechanical analog of a tribological system in the boundary friction mode is studied. A thermodynamic model is used to analyze the first-order phase transition between liquidlike and solidlike structures of a lubricant. The time dependences of the friction force, the relative velocity of the interacting surfaces, and the elastic component of the shear stresses appearing in the lubricant are obtained. It is shown that, in the liquidlike state, the shear modulus of the lubricant and the elastic stresses become zero. The intermittent (stick-slip) friction mode detected experimentally is described. It is shown that, as the lubricant temperature increases, the frequency of phase transitions between the lubricant structural states decreases and the total friction force and elastic stress amplitudes lower. When the temperature or the elastic strain exceeds the corresponding critical value, the lubricant melts and a kinetic slip mode in which the elastic component of the friction force is zero takes place.     

Raman characterization of Ti–6Al–4V oxides and thermal history after kinetic friction

Raman spectroscopy is applied to study the surfaces of a pair of tantalum and titanium alloy samples after high-speed dry friction. The surface of titanium alloy (Ti–6Al–4V) shows titanium oxides on the rubbing surfaces. Raman spectra enable to differentiate the allotropic phases of anatase or rutile. The presence of these phases is the signature of the local thermal history during the friction tests. Moreover, Raman mapping allows localizing area the flash temperatures that may have been produced by the friction between sample asperities.     

Stochastic theory of ultrathin lubricant film melting in the stick-slip regime

Melting of an ultrathin lubricant film under friction between atomically smooth surfaces is studied in terms of the Lorentz model. Additive noise associated with shear stresses and strains, as well as with film temperature, is introduced, and a phase diagram is constructed where the noise intensity of the film temperature and the temperature of rubbing surfaces define the domains of sliding, dry, and stick-slip friction. Conditions are found under which stick-slip friction proceeds in the intermittent regime, which is characteristic of selforganized criticality. The stress self-similar distribution, which is provided by temperature fluctuations, is represented with allowance for nonlinear relaxation of stresses and fractional feedbacks in the Lorentz system. Such a fractional scheme is used to construct a phase diagram separating out different types of friction. Based on the study of the fractional Fokker-Planck equation, the conclusion is drawn that stick-slip friction corresponds to the subdiffusion process.     

Periodic intermittent regime of a boundary flow

Melting of an ultrathin lubricant film during friction between two atomically smooth surfaces is investigated using the Lorentz model for approximating the viscoelastic medium. Second-order differential equations describing damped harmonic oscillations are derived for three boundary relations between the shear stresses, strain, and temperature relaxation times. In all cases, phase portraits and time dependences of stresses are constructed. It is found that under the action of a random force (additive uncorrelated noise), an undamped oscillation mode corresponding to a periodic intermittent regime sets in, which conforms to a periodic stick-slip regime of friction that is mainly responsible for fracture of rubbing parts. The conditions in which the periodic intermittent regime is manifested most clearly are determined, as well as parameters for which this regime does not set in the entire range of the friction surface temperature.     

Effect of the temperature dependence of the viscosity of pseudoplastic lubricants on the boundary friction regime

The boundary friction regime appearing between two atomically smooth solid surfaces with an ultrathin lubricating layer between them is considered. The interrupted (stick-slip) regime of motion typical of the boundary lubrication is represented as a first-order phase transition between the structural states of the lubricant. The thermodynamic and shear melting is described. The universal dependence of the viscosity of high-molecular alkanes (lubricants) on the temperature and velocity gradient is taken into account. The dependence of the friction force on the lubricant temperature and the relative shear velocity of the interacting surfaces are analyzed. It is shown that the temperature dependence of the viscosity makes it possible to describe some experimentally observed effects. The possibility of prolonged damped oscillations after lubricant melting prior to the stabilization of the steady-state sliding mode is predicted. In the stick-slip regime in a wide range of parameters, a reversive motion is observed when the upper block moves in both directions after melting.     

Fabrication of durable hydrophobic surfaces through surface texturing

Low surface energy polymer thin-films can be applied to surfaces to increase hydrophobicity and reduce friction for a variety of applications. However, wear of these thin films, resulting from repetitive rubbing against another surface, is of great concern. In this study, we show that highly hydrophobic surfaces with persistent abrasion resistance can be fabricated by depositing fluorinated carbon thin films on sandblasted glass surfaces. In our study, fluorinated carbon thin films were deposited on sandblasted and as-received smooth glass using deep reactive ion etching equipment by only activating the passivation step. The surfaces of the samples were then rubbed with FibrMet abrasive papers in a reciprocating motion using an automatic friction abrasion analyzer. During the rubbing, the static and kinetic friction forces were also measured. The surface wetting properties were then characterized using a video-based contact angle measuring system to determine the changes in water contact angle as a result of rubbing. Assessment of the wear properties of the thin films was based on the changes in the water contact angles of the coated surfaces after repetitive rubbing. It was found that, for sandblasted glass coated with fluorinated carbon film, the water contact angle remained constant throughout the entire rubbing process, contrary to the smooth glass coated with fluorinated carbon film which showed a drastic decrease in water contact angle with the increasing number of rubbing cycles. In addition, the static and kinetic friction coefficients of the sandblasted glass were also much lower than those of the smooth glass.     

Hydrodynamic boundary conditions: An emergent behavior of fluid–solid interactions

By using the Onsager principle of minimum energy dissipation, the hydrodynamic boundary conditions at the fluid–solid interface are shown to be the natural emergent behavior of microscopic interactions that lead to the interfacial tension and the tangential friction at the fluid–solid interface [T. Qian, C. Qiu, P. Sheng, J. Fluid Mech. 611 (2008) 333]. This is satisfying because the equations of motion, e.g., the Stokes equation, and the hydrodynamic boundary conditions can now be derived from a unified framework. The resulting continuum hydrodynamic formulation yields predictions for immiscible two-phase flows that are in quantitative agreement with molecular dynamic simulations. In particular, the classical problem of the moving contact line is resolved. We also show results on the moving contact line over chemically patterned surfaces which exhibit striking nanoscale characteristics as well as sub-quadratic dependence of the moving contact line dissipation on its average velocity.     

Properties of the boundary layer in selective transport

A study is reported for the boundary layer of lubricant arising under conditions of selective transport; it is considered that electrochemical processes dominate this transport, and a study has been made of the emf generated, the rectified voltage, and the resistance of the boundary layer as functions of the nominal load. The frictional force was also measured. It is found that the selective transfer occurs in the steady state through a boundary layer of lubricant that interacts chemically with the surfaces. The resulting boundary layers have rectified properties, while the system St. 40Kh-glycerol-Br. OTsS generates an emf as a galvanic cell. The effects have been examined as functions of the friction conditions.Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, No. 5, pp. 41–45, May, 1973.     

Nanopolishing by colloidal nanodiamond in elastohydrodynamic lubrication

In this paper, the feasibility of using explosion synthesized diamond nanoparticles with an average particle size (APS) of 3–5 nm with a concentration of 1 % by weight for improving lubrication and friction in elastohydrodynamic lubrication (EHL) was investigated. Owing to the orders of magnitude increase in the viscosity of the lubricant in the EHL contact zone, diamond nanoparticles in the lubricant polish the surfaces at the nanoscale which decreases the composite roughness of contacting surfaces. The reduced composite roughness results in an increased film thickness ratio which yields lower friction. In the numerical analysis, governing equations of lubricant flow in the full elastohydrodynamic lubrication were solved, and the shear stress distribution over the fluid film was calculated. Using an abrasion model and the shear stress distribution profile, the material removal by the nanofluid containing nanoparticles and the resultant surface roughness were determined. The numerical analysis showed that in full EHL regime, the nanolubricant can reduce the composite roughness of moving surfaces. Experimental results from prior studies which exhibited surface polishing by such nanolubricants in boundary, mixed, and full elastohydrodynamic lubrication were used for comparison to the numerical model.     

Stick-slip regime of melting of boundary lubrication taking into account spatial inhomogeneity

The processes of boundary friction between two atomically smooth solid surfaces with an ultrathin layer of lubricant between them are studied in the context of the model of the first-order phase transitions, taking into account the spatial inhomogeneity. The stick-slip regime of motion, which is often observed experimentally for such systems, is considered. Such a regime is represented as the periodic first-order phase transitions between the structural states of the lubricant. It is shown that during motion, the lubricant tends to assume a homogeneous structure over the sliding plane, which results in the periodicity of time dependences of the basic parameters in the stick-slip regime. The dependence of the order parameter on the shear rate is analyzed and it is shown that this dependence has the same shape for all the regions on the contact plane.     

Influence of Stress Dependence of Lubricant Shear Modulus on Self-Similar Behavior of Stress Time Series

Here we consider melting of an ultrathin lubricant layer between two atomically smooth solid surfaces taking into account the stress dependence of the lubricant shear modulus and its decrease with increasing stress (strain). In the adiabatic approximation with the stress relaxation time far longer than strain and temperature relaxation times, a Langevin equation is written and its respective Fokker-Planck equation is derived using the Stratonovich calculus. Phase diagrams for the steady case are presented illustrating the effect of the system parameters on the lubricant behavior. A joint numerical and analytical analysis demonstrates a very close match between probability distributions at different parameters. It is shown that in a limited stress range, a self-similar mode of dry friction is established showing up in self-similar behavior of stress time series.     

Nature of mechanical instabilities and their effect on kinetic friction

It has long been recognized that kinetic friction F(k) between two solids must be due to instabilities, sudden "pops" of certain degrees of freedom. Here, such pops are studied with a focus on boundary lubrication. The pops' characteristics and consequently the friction-velocity relationship depend qualitatively on dimensionality, commensurability, and details of the lubricant wall interaction. It is found that F(k) should be small between commensurate surfaces. F(k) is large for incommensurate surfaces, unless the lubricant's motion is confined to 1D. The effects of thermal noise are discussed and computer simulations are employed to show the relevance of the predictions to less idealized models.     

The global responses characteristics of a rotor/stator rubbing system with dry friction effects

Rotor/stator rubbing systems may undertake a number of quite different responses. Recent experiments on rotor/stator rubbing have revealed that two or three different responses may coexist. In this paper the global response characteristics of a general rotor/stator rubbing system, which takes into account the dominant factors in the process of rotor/stator rubbing, especially, the dry friction effect that is mostly neglected in the previous works and is the main factor for the self-excited dry friction backward whirl, are studied. The different solutions of the piecewise nonlinear system are derived and their stability are analyzed to get the existence boundaries of the different responses. An overall picture of the global response characteristics of this model is then obtained by drawing the existence boundaries in a same parameter space. The present results provide good understanding on the coexistence of different rubbing responses observed in tests. Moreover, deeper insight into the types of coexistence of different rubbing responses and their relationship with the system parameters is gained.     

Melting of ultrathin lubricant film due to dissipative heating of friction surfaces

Melting of an ultrathin lubricant film during friction between atomically smooth surfaces is studied. Additive noise of shear stress and strain as well as of film temperature is introduced and the phase diagram is constructed. On the diagram, the noise intensity for this temperature and the temperature of friction surfaces determine the regions of sliding, dry, and stick-slip friction. As a result of numerical analysis of the Langevin equation for various regions of the diagram, time series of stresses are constructed, which make it possible to explain the experiment on friction, in which intermittent motion is observed. Lubricant melting due to dissipative heating of friction surface is considered and the experimental time dependences of friction force are interpreted.     

Phenomenological theory for the melting of a thin lubricant film between two atomically smooth solid surfaces

A thermodynamic model is developed for the melting of an ultrathin lubricant film squeezed between two atomically smooth solid surfaces. To describe the state of lubricant, an excess volume parameter is introduced; it appears due to the chaos in the structure of a solid body induced by melting. This parameter increases with the total internal energy upon melting. Thermodynamic melting and shear melting are described. The dependences of the friction force on the lubricant temperature and the shear rate of friction surfaces are analyzed. The calculated results are compared to the experimental data.     

Surface functionalization by nanosecond-laser texturing for controlling hydrodynamic cavitation dynamics

The interaction between liquid flow and solid boundary can result in cavitation formation when the local pressure drops below vaporization threshold. The cavitation dynamics does not depend only on basic geometry, but also on surface roughness, chemistry and wettability. From application point of view, controlling cavitation in fluid flows by surface functionalization is of great importance to avoid the unwanted effects of hydrodynamic cavitation (erosion, noise and vibrations). However, it could be also used for intensification of various physical and chemical processes. In this work, the surfaces of 10-mm stainless steel cylinders are laser textured in order to demonstrate how hydrodynamic cavitation behavior can be controlled by surface modification. The surface properties are modified by using a nanosecond (10–28 ns) fiber laser (wavelength of 1060 nm). In such a way, surfaces with different topographies and wettability were produced and tested in a cavitation tunnel at different cavitation numbers (1.0–2.6). Cavitation characteristics behind functionalized cylindrical surfaces were monitored simultaneously by high-speed visualization (20,000 fps) and high frequency pressure transducers. The results clearly show that cavitation characteristics differ significantly between different micro-structured surfaces. On some surfaces incipient cavitation is delayed and cavitation extent decreased in comparison with the reference – a highly polished cylinder. It is also shown that the increased surface wettability (i.e., hydrophilicity) delays the incipient cavitation.