Studien syftar till att bidra med information till att kunna konstruera material för mer komfortabla löpartights som inte orsakar skavsår vid löpträning. Diskussion om problem med chafing (som är det engelska ordet för skavsår från kläder) och hur det bäst förebyggs på löparsidor på internet bekräftar att det är ett problem som löpare lider av. När textil gnids mot hud motverkas rörelsen av friktion vilket leder till mekanisk nötning, är friktionen tillräckligt stor och upprepad kan det leda till chafing. Fukt ansågs vara en huvudorsak till ökad friktion och vanliga rekommendationer för att förebygga chafing var att bära träningskläder av material med god fukttransport samt insmörjning med vaselin av känsliga områden innan löpturen. Av litteraturstudier bekräftades att fuktig textil eller hud ökar friktionen dramatiskt. Dock fanns inga studier där sambandet mellan vad som upplevs som friktionsreducerande och textilens friktionskoefficient (hädanefter µ) undersöks. Detta blev således det som undersöktes i denna studie. En egen testmetod utvecklades utifrån tidigare studier i ämnet och vad som ansågs lämpligast för syftet. µ mättes genom att med en dragprovare dra en ”släde”, beklädd med provmaterialet, över huden på underarmen, Kraften som krävdes för att motverka friktionskraften användes för att beräkna µ. Både statisk och dynamisk friktion ansågs relevant att undersöka för att besvara våra frågeställningar. Testresultaten visade både positiv och negativ korrelation mellan god fukttransport och ett lågt µ och inget samband kunde därför styrkas. Metoden som användes, bl.a. mängd fukt som applicerades, kan eventuellt vara en förklaring till resultaten. Testerna där vaselinets upplevda förebyggande effekt undersöktes gav ej resultat som kunde knyta denna effekt till ett lägre µ. Den dramatiska ökningen av µ mellan hud och fuktig textil inträffade ej mellan textil och textil. En hög friktion mellan hud och textil och liten friktion mellan textil och textil kan dock vara en fördel för tighta kläder då det motverkar rörelse och därmed hudirritation. För löst sittande kläder är det dock en fördel att ha liten friktion mellan hud och textil då textilens rörelse i kan förhindras. En förhoppning med arbetet var att tydliggöra vilken av de undersökta faktorerna som var mest effektiv för att förebygga chafing. Ingen tydlig korrelation mellan god fukttransport och friktionsbeteende kunde styrkas och ingen slutsats kunde därför dras av detta. Kunskap har dock tillförts den komplexa vetenskapen om det tribologiska beteendet mellan hud och textil, vilket var studiens syfte. / Program: Textilingenjörsutbildningen

Efficiency of internal combustion engines (ICEs) is far from optimal. Due to the continuously increasing demands on CO2 regulations, automobile industries are forced to improve such efficiency. A crankshaft roller bearing (CSRB) can lead to significant improvements in engine efficiency. However, before this can be implemented into an actual engine, several challenges have to be addressed. One such challenge is the satisfactory performance of CSRB. The current crankshaft limits the service life since it must act as a roller bearing raceway. Therefore, better material properties are required for the use of CSRB in crankshaft applications. In order to select suitable material for the CSRB, development of several characterization methods is required. These methods are based on failure modes that are expected to occur in the actual application. Surface initiated fatigue was shown to be the main failure mode that could lead to complete failure of such a component. The following three characterizations needs are identified: material characterization, lubricant characterization and surface roughness characterization. Two of these methods are partially part of this thesis. Material characterization is required to select the optimal steel candidate for the CSRB component. A method was developed to assess the damage modes on a reference 100Cr6 steel pair under conditions prevalent to CSRB application. However, fully formulated oil was excluded from this investigation and only low-additive oil was employed. Micro-pitting and wear damage modes were identified and were later assessed. Different surface roughness combinations were tested, from where micro-pitting regions were identified. In addition, the effects of surface hardness and sliding on micro-pitting and wear were investigated. It was found that hard steel contacts are more prone to micro-pitting damage compared to soft ones, but less susceptible to mild wear. In addition, higher sliding increases the degree of micro-pitting and wear. Lubricant characterization was performed to optimize the engine oil formulation for rolling contacts. A method to assess different engine oils in terms of micro-pitting and wear damages of rolling contacts was employed. The effect of viscosity, additive chemistry and different mixtures of base oils on aforementioned performance were presented and discussed. In addition, lubricant characterization will provide in-depth knowledge for engine oils’ manufacturers to improve engine oil formulations for satisfactory performances of CSRB design.

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This thesis is based on two different projects, one more focused on applied research and one on more basic research. The first project examines the po- tential of nitriding as an alternative to case hardening in tribologically loaded components while the second project involves micro scale studies of the relations between roughness, transfer and friction between metals. The first project consists of an evaluation of the tribological properties of nitrided steels. The aim is to increase the understanding of the wear and fric- tion behavior of different nitrided steels in relation to the choice of steel grade, microstructure, thickness and composition of the compound layer, among other parameters. This study is a part of a bigger project called Surf- Nit, which primary objective is to optimize the nitriding process in order to increase the use of nitrided steels for applications like high stress compo- nents. Today case hardening is the standard heat treatment for these applica- tions but nitriding is both more environmentally friendly and less time con- suming. In the present study, the steel grade with the highest content of ni- tride-forming elements and highest hardness showed the best wear re- sistance, regardless of the composition of the compound layer. Further, steels of a given grade but with different phase compositions of the compound layer showed differences in their wear behaviour. It was also shown that nitrided steels with ε-phase in the compound layer acted more brittle than those containing Υ’. The goal of the more basic project is to increase the understanding of the mechanism behind sliding friction. The main focus has been the relation between friction and material transfer. A better understanding can be of help when developing new tribological materials, for example wear resistant components that can operate without lubrication. It could also enable specif- ic recommendations for surface finishes to avoid material transfer and be of help when trying to make more realistic tribological models. Scratch tests have been performed on samples with different surface roughness and dif- ferent surface composition. It was shown that nano scale topography had a bigger impact on both material transfer and friction compared to micro scale topography. Experiments both in air and in situ in a SEM have been per- formed to determine the effect of presence of air on the friction and material transfer. The experiments in air resulted in more material transfer and higher friction than those performed in vacuum. Both lubricated and unlubricated contacts have been studied in order to see how surfaces otherwise separated by boundary lubrication will be affected if the lubrication fails.

The wear of a machine, whether it is due to fatigue or abrasive wear, will add contaminants, in the form of particulates, to the system in question. Since a total breakdown of the machine can be rather costly, one wants to be able to foresee breakdowns and increase the machine life. Follow-up checks of machines are often performed to enable one to detect an increase in wear, and thereby replace the machine or remove it for service. This licentiate thesis mainly deals with the problems associated with contamination control and sample withdrawal. A survey of where and how to take a representative sample is performed using Stokes' law and the migration of spheres in a channel. Some different techniques to measure the contamination are also presented, together with their advantages and disadvantages. Sampling routines for proper sample withdrawal are included. The thesis also includes some field aspects concerning the influence of particles and the wear of grease-lubricated rolling element bearings. / Godkänd; 2001; 20070316 (ysko)

In the field of tribology, there are numerous theoretical models that may be described mathematically in the form of integro-differential systems of equations. Some of these systems of equations are sufficiently well posed to allow for numerical solutions to be carried out resulting in accurate predictions. This work has focused on the contact between rough surfaces with or without a separating lubricant film. The objective was to investigate how surface topography influences contact conditions. For this purpose two different numerical methods were developed and used. For the lubricated contact between rough surfaces the Reynolds equation were used as a basis. This equation is derived under the assumptions of thin fluid film and creeping flow. In highly loaded, lubricated, non- conformal contacts of surfaces after running-in, the load concentration no longer results in plastic deformations, however large elastic deformations will be apparent. It is the interaction between the hydrodynamic action of the lubricant and the elastic deformations of the surfaces that, in certain applications, enable the lubricant film to fully separate the surfaces. This is commonly referred to as full film elastohydrodynamic (EHD) lubrication. Typical machine elements that operates in the full film EHD lubrication (FL) regime include rolling element bearings, cams and gears. Unfortunately, a cost effective way of machining engineering surfaces seldom results in a surface topography that influence contact conditions in the same way as a surface after running-in. Such topographies may prevent the lubricant from fully separating the surfaces because of deteriorated hydrodynamic action. In this case the applied load is carried in part by the lubricant and in part by surface asperities and/or surface active lubricant additives. This could also be the case in lubricant starved contacts, which is a common situation in not only grease lubricated contacts but also in many liquid lubricated contacts, such as high speed operating rolling element bearings. The load sharing between the highly compressed lubricant and the surface and/or surface active lubricant additives is the reason why this lubrication regime is most commonly referred to as mixed EHD lubrication (ML). Machine elements that while running operate in the FL regime may experience a transition into the ML regime at stops or due to altered operating conditions. It is not possible to simulate direct contact between the surfaces using a numerical method based on Reynolds equation. A parameter study, of elementary surface features passing each other inside the EHD lubricated conjunction, was performed. The results obtained, even though no direct contact could be simulated, does indicate that a transition from the FL to the ML regime would occur for certain combinations of the varied parameters. At start-ups, the contact in a rolling element bearing could be both starved and drained from lubricant. In this case the hydrodynamic action becomes negligible in terms of load carrying capacity. The load is carried exclusively by surface asperities and/or surface active lubricant additives. This regime is referred to as boundary lubrication (BL). Operation conditions could also make both FL and ML impossible to achieve, for example, in the case in a low rpm operating rolling element bearing. The BL regime is in this work modeled as the unlubricated frictionless contact between rough surfaces, i.e., a dry contact approach. A variational principle was used in which the real area of contact and contact pressure distribution are those which minimize the total complementary energy. A linear elastic-perfectly plastic deformation model in which energy dissipation due to plastic deformation is accounted for was used. The dry contact method was applied to the contact between four different profiles and a plane. The variation in the real area of contact, the plasticity index and some surface roughness parameters due to applied load were investigated. The surface roughness parameters of the profiles differed significantly. / Godkänd; 2004; 20070128 (ysko)

There are many tribological interfaces that are exposed to elevated temperatures. Typical examples are the interfaces of various moving assemblies, for examples in aerospace industry, power generation and metalworking processes. The exposure of materials to elevated temperatures results in highly complex interfaces due to changes in morphology, microstructure and mechanical properties coupled with the occurrence of oxidation and diffusion. All of these changes will influence the tribological behaviour of materials at elevated temperatures. Another major concern is lubrication at elevated temperatures since conventional lubricants do not perform at temperatures above ~300ºC. High strength steels are commonly used as structural reinforcements or energy absorbing systems in automobile applications due to their favourable strength to weight ratios. The high strength of these steels leads to several problems during forming such as poor formability, increased spring back, and tendency to work-harden. In view of these difficulties, high strength steels are usually formed at elevated temperatures with a view to facilitating forming and simultaneous hardening by quenching of complex shaped parts. A review of published literature has revealed that only a few studies pertaining to high temperature tribology (including those of hot metalworking) have been carried out so far. The understanding of the high temperature tribological behaviour of high strength steels and tool steel pairs is also highly inadequate. The aim of this work is therefore to obtain a better understanding of the friction and wear mechanisms of tool steel and high strength boron steel tribological pairs at elevated temperatures. The experimental studies were carried out by using a high temperature version of the Optimol SRV reciprocating friction and wear test machine. The tribological studies were performed at temperatures ranging from 40ºC to 800ºC. The experimental materials were tool steels of three different alloying compositions (with and without nitriding) and high strength boron steel (unhardened, hardened, with and without Al-Si coating). The results have shown that both friction and wear of tool steel and high strength steel pairs are temperature dependant. An increase in temperature has resulted in lower friction for all the material pairs. Tool wear increased when the temperature increased from 40 to 400ºC during sliding against uncoated high strength steel but remained unchanged when the temperature increased further to 800ºC. When sliding against Al-Si coated high strength steel, tool wear increased with increasing temperature. Plasma nitriding of tool steels has been effective in reducing friction as well as in providing protection against severe adhesive wear. The Al-Si coating on the high strength steel has resulted in high friction at low temperatures and low friction at elevated temperatures. It has also shown an increased wear resistance at elevated temperatures. The coating undergoes significant surface morphological changes when exposed to elevated temperatures which are likely to influence its tribological behaviour. Hardening of the high strength steel has resulted in decreased friction at all temperatures. It led to higher tool wear at low temperatures and lower tool wear at elevated temperatures / Godkänd; 2007; 20070820 (pafi)

Interacting surfaces are frequently found in mechanical systems and components. A lubricant is often added between the surfaces to separate them from mechanical contact in order to increase life and performance of the contacting surfaces. In this work various aspects of hydrodynamic lubrication are investigated theoretically. This is where interacting surfaces are completely separated by a fluid film which is often the desired operating condition of machine components when wear and friction is to be reduced. Different flow regimes can be identified within the scope of hydrodynamic lubrication. If the surfaces are separated by a thick fluid film the influence from surface asperities is small and the surfaces can be treated as smooth. If the rate of change in film thickness with respect to the spatial directions is significantly large and if the flow velocity or Reynolds number is large, the ordinary fluid mechanical approach treating viscous flow with Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) has to be used. CFD is used to investigate influence from the use of an artificial microscopic surface pattern on one of the two interacting surfaces. The influence from the pattern is isolated from any other pressure generating effects by keeping the interacting surfaces parallel. Results are shown for different shapes of the micro-pattern. If the Reynolds number decreases, the system enters a regime called Stokes flow where the inertia effects are neglected. The full CFD approach is compared with the Stokes for various physical and geometrical cases. If the change in film thickness is small in the spatial directions, the thin film approximation is applicable and the full momentum equations describing fluid flow together with the mass continuity equation can be reduced to the Reynolds equation. Depending on boundary conditions, low pressures can occur at location of expanding fluid gap leading to tensile stress applied to the lubricant. However, a real liquid lubricant can only resist small tensile stresses until it cavitates into a mixture of gas and liquid. This often happens close to atmospheric pressure due to contamination and dissolved air into the liquid and occurs at higher pressures than the actual vaporization. To avoid pressures reaching too low levels, a general cavitation algorithm applied to the Reynolds equation is presented that accommodates for an arbitrary density-pressure relation. It is now possible to model the compressibility of the lubricant in such a way that the density-pressure relation is realistic through out the contact. The algorithm preserves mass continuity which is of importance when inter-asperity cavitation of rough surfaces is considered. For small film thicknesses the surface roughness becomes important in the performance of the lubricated contact. Even the smoothest of real surfaces is rough at a microscopic level and will influence the contact condition. The Reynolds equation still applies since the heights of the surface asperities are small compared to the spatial elongation. Treatment of the roughness of a real surface in a deterministic fashion is however beyond the scope of today's computers. Therefore other approaches need to be employed in order to take the surface roughness into account. In this work a homogenization method is used where the governing equation of the flow condition is formulated with a two-scale expansion, the global geometry and the roughness. Solutions are achieved for the limit of the roughness wavelength approaching zero and the method renders a possibility to treat the two scales separately. A method to generate dimensionless flow factors compensating for the surface roughness is developed. The flow factors, once solved for a particular surface, can be used to compensate for the surface roughness in any smooth global problem for any film thickness. / <p>Godkänd; 2005; 20061213 (haneit)</p>

Rail and rail wheel flange wear on the rail track has been a problem of attention for the last 30 years. The problems arise in curves and depend on increased traffic volume, heavier axle load and also higher speed. Axle loads of 22,5-25 ton is common nowadays and the trend is towards heavier axle loads where the next step is 30-35 ton. Flange wear includes both wheel and rail flanges and is therefore a problem for the operating company as well as the infrastructure owner. The flange wear depend mainly on the number of passed axles, type of traffic, speed and curve radius but also the axle load contributes. Flange lubrication on high rail is a well known way to reduce wear since the middle of 70th and a number of techniques to lubricate the rail flange are developed as grease, aerosol of oil and dry stick with solid lubricants. The trackside lubricator can not apply the grease on the rail flange when the climate is during the winter. The infrastructure owner in Sweden was interested to evaluate the effectiveness of the track side lubricator. The investment in trackside lubricators over 20 years was about 75 Mkr (7,6 USD) and also an additional yearly costs to operate 3000 apparatuses. The work to evaluate effectiveness of the lubrication started 1997 there one of the important matter concern the possibility to use environmentally adapted lubricants without hazard the rail. This licentiate thesis concern effectiveness of trackside lubricators to reduce wear in sharp railroad curves. Also the environmentally aspects have been considered and therefore natural esters synthetic esters and additives suited for those kind of lubricants have been evaluated. The research proved that environmentally adapted lubricants could lubricate as good as earlier used greases. Some amount of metal removal is probably healthy for this kind of application. Lubricants as synthetic esters can be designed get those qualities. It was also found significant difference between the seasons concerning flange wear. This difference depends on the problem to apply grease on the rail flange during the winter.