In Tribology, the well-known Stribeck curve is often used to relate friction behaviour to the properties of a system. Richard Stribeck, (Jacobson, 2003), (Stribeck, 1902) developed these curves while researching various bearings and found that the Stribeck curve can be generated for all tribological contacts of the Hertzian type. These curves give a relation between the coefficient of friction and the Sommerfeld number for a lubricant and given surfaces. All his test work was done on contacts that move in a single direction, unidirectional motion. This leaves the question, could Stribeck curves be applied to reciprocating contacts and how does linear velocity affect wear in these contacts? This research project is aimed to further the knowledge on how linear velocity affects reciprocating contacts with a focus on Stribeck curves and lubricity. Tests were conducted on two reciprocating instruments using ball and disk configurations. Two parameters were varied to change the linear velocity, namely oscillating frequency, and stroke length. To shift focus away from viscosity, n-Hexadecane was used as the base fluid due to its lack of lubrication properties. To improve the base fluid lubricity 3 carboxylic acids with 3 different chain lengths were used as additives. / Dissertation (MEng (Chemical Engineering)) Univercity of Pretoria, 2021. / Chemical Engineering / MEng (Chemical Engineering) / Restricted

The increasing use of polymer-based materials (PBMs) across all types of industry has not been matched by sufficient improvements in understanding of polymer tribology: friction, wear, and lubrication. Further, viscoelasticity of PBMs complicates characterization of their behavior. Using data from micro-scratch testing, it was determined that viscoelastic recovery (healing) in sliding wear is independent of the indenter force within a defined range of load values. Strain hardening in sliding wear was observed for all materials-including polymers and composites with a wide variety of chemical structures-with the exception of polystyrene (PS). The healing in sliding wear was connected to free volume in polymers by using pressure-volume-temperature (P-V-T) results and the Hartmann equation of state. A linear relationship was found for all polymers studied with again the exception of PS. The exceptional behavior of PS has been attributed qualitatively to brittleness. In pursuit of a precise description of such, a quantitative definition of brittleness has been defined in terms of the elongation at break and storage modulus-a combination of parameters derived from both static and dynamic mechanical testing. Furthermore, a relationship between sliding wear recovery and brittleness for all PBMs including PS is demonstrated. The definition of brittleness may be used as a design criterion in selecting PBMs for specific applications, while the connection to free volume improves also predictability of wear behavior.

Structure-tribological property relations have been studied for five high entropy alloys (HEAs). Microhardness, room and elevated (100°C and 300°C) temperature sliding friction coefficients and wear rates were determined for five HEAs: Co0.5 Cr Cu0.5 Fe Ni1.5 Al Ti0.4; Co Cr Fe Ni Al0.25 Ti0.75; Ti V Nb Cr Al; Al0.3CoCrFeNi; and Al0.3CuCrFeNi2. Wear surfaces were characterized with scanning electron microscopy and micro-Raman spectroscopy to determine the wear mechanisms and tribochemical phases, respectively. It was determined that the two HEAs Co0.5 Cr Cu0.5 Fe Ni1.5 Al Ti0.4 and Ti V Nb Cr Al exhibit an excellent balance of high hardness, low friction coefficients and wear rates compared to 440C stainless steel, a currently used bearing steel. This was attributed to their more ductile body centered cubic (BCC) solid solution phase along with the formation of tribochemical Cr oxide and Nb oxide phases, respectively, in the wear surfaces. This study provides guidelines for fabricating novel, low-friction, and wear-resistant HEAs for potential use at room and elevated temperatures, which will help reduce energy and material losses in friction and wear applications.

<p>Rolling contact fatigue (RCF) is the primary mode of failure in tribological contacts like rolling-element bearings (REBs), gears, and cam-follower systems. RCF processes have a crack initiation phase followed by a propagation and coalescence phase, resulting in spalls that lead to catastrophic failure. Crack initiation is a highly localized process that is strongly influenced by the inhomogeneity of the material microstructure. Therefore, a microstructure-sensitive model is required to simulate the damage evolution and failure due to RCF loading. This document presents the development of a microstructure-based finite element (FE) framework for RCF, which accounts for the inhomogeneity of bearing steel microstructure by using an explicit definition of polycrystal topology and material anisotropy. The granular topology of the bearing steel microstructure is described using randomly generated Voronoi tessellations. A cubic elastic material definition with a random spatial orientation is specified for each Voronoi grain to simulate the material anisotropy. The Voronoi grains generated using this approach were used to model the critically stressed microstructural volume in RCF loading. A domain size study was conducted to estimate the minimum number of grains that need to be contained by the critically stressed volume such that the macroscopic material response of the polycrystalline aggregate matches the linear elastic material properties of bearing steel. The estimated critically stressed volume was then embedded into a semi-infinite domain for the FE simulation of RCF line contact loading. The RCF domains developed were then subjected to a moving Hertzian pressure over the surface to simulate a bearing load cycle. A boundary averaging scheme was used to estimate the effective stresses along the grain boundaries of the Voronoi cells. Due to the anisotropy of the polycrystalline material, local stress concentrations occur at the grain boundaries as compared to isotropic models. The resolved grain boundary stresses were used to predict critical locations for RCF crack initiation, which closely match observations from RCF bench test data. Since RCF failures typically exhibit subsurface locations for the first crack initiation, the model uses the critical resolved shear stress (RSS) reversal along the grain boundaries and the corresponding subsurface location of the maxima as the driving parameters for RCF fatigue failures. The parameters from the model were fit into a Weibull distribution to estimate the stochasticity in initiation life. The Weibull predictions corroborate well with experimentally measured RCF life scatter. The framework was then extended using a coupled damage mechanics - cohesive element method (DM-CEM) to individually model the crack initiation and propagation phases in RCF. An explicit definition of the grain boundaries was incorporated using cohesive elements. Damage is initiated at the grain boundaries by degradation of the cohesive elements and the rate of damage/degradation is used to characterize the evolution of fatigue life. The rate of damage was calculated at each grain boundary using a fatigue damage law based on the RSS reversal parameter. The model is able to simulate the crack initiation and the propagation/ coalescence phases in RCF, with distinct life estimates for each phase. This model framework is further extended to investigate the effects of lubrication conditions in RCF by integrating an elastohydrodynamic lubrication (EHL) model to simulate the pressure load with the DM-CEM model. Further improvements to the fatigue life predictions using the DM-CEM model are made by coupling it with a crystal plasticity (CP) based submodel approach to predict the crack initiation life in RCF. CP-based metrics are used to correlate the microplasticity developed under RCF loading with the formation of fatigue micro-cracks and the corresponding initiation life estimations. The resulting final spall patterns and RCF life estimates were found to match well with experimental data available in the open literature.</p> <p><br></p>

In metal cutting applications, development of coatings to reduce friction between tool and chip and also enhance wear resistance of the tool is an important objective. The effectiveness of such coatings is ultimately evaluated through metal cutting trials; however, bench-scale tests can play a role in predicting some aspects of a candidate coating’s performance. This dissertation further develops the concept of an on-axis rotation pin-on-disc tribometer for the evaluation of friction coefficient between tool and work material pairs under temperature and stress conditions similar to those experienced between tool and chip in metal cutting. Firstly, the characteristics of the imprint formed by the spherical-tipped pin in the disc during tribometer tests are studied. Specific focus is given to the growth of the imprint during the rotating stage of the test; the severity of pile-up of work material around the periphery of the imprint; different zones of contact at the imprint surface; and evidence of (or lack thereof) of bulk shear in the surrounding work material below the surface of the disc. The importance of estimating the actual temperature at the pin-disc interface (inaccessible for direct measurement) is also raised. Evidence is presented that suggests the pin-disc interface is higher for tests involving coatings with higher electrical resistivity, despite exhibiting similar temperatures 2 mm above the interface (accessible for direct measurement). A numerical model is developed in an effort to estimate the pin-disc interface during stationary specimen tests for specific pin and disc materials under controlled conditions. An empirical relationship is also established to express the variation of electrical resistivity with temperature for cemented tungsten carbide (6% cobalt content). Finally, coefficient of friction results for coated and uncoated cemented carbide pins in contact with AISI 1045 steel discs are related to short duration turning trials involving the same material pairs. Coatings exhibiting low friction coefficient result in appreciably lower cutting forces, reduced built-up edge intensity and more tightly curled chips. The possibility that the low thermal conductivity of such coatings could be producing similar effects by forcing more heat into the chips is also explored. / Dissertation / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) / This dissertation further develops the concept of a pin-on-disc apparatus for evaluating the friction coefficient between materials under temperature and stress conditions similar to those experienced in metal cutting. Firstly, characteristics of the imprint formed by the pin in the disc during tests with the apparatus are studied. Specific focus is given to the growth of the imprint during the rotating stage of the test and different zones of contact at the imprint surface. Secondly, the importance of estimating the actual temperature at the pin-disc interface, inaccessible for direct measurement, is raised and a numerical model developed to aid in its estimation. Finally, coefficient of friction results generated on the apparatus are correlated to the magnitude of forces measured and other observations made during metal cutting trials involving the same material pairs.

Direct measurements of surface temperatures produced during fretting contact are an unknown area in the discipline of tribology; in addition, the possible effects of such temperatures on the behavior of protective anti-fretting coatings (e.g., polymeric) have never been investigated. An oscillating contact device was designed and built to study fretting contact behavior in tribological processes. The contact geometry consisted of a stationary spherical test specimen loaded against a vibrating sapphire disk driven by an electromagnetic shaker. Surface temperatures generated by frictional heating were measured during fretting contact using an infrared microscope. A photo/video technique was developed to view the fretting contact interface during an experiment and to measure the size and distribution of real area(s) of contact. The effects of size and distribution of the areas on the experimental surface temperatures for polymer-coated steel spheres-on- sapphire were investigated. Archard's theoretical model was also modified to account for multiple contact areas, and the calculated surface temperatures were compared to the experimental results. Polymeric coatings - including polystyrene (PS), polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA), polysulfone (PSO), polyvinylchloride (PVC), and polyvinylidenechloride (PVDC) were studied at a given load (20 N), frequency (150 Hz), amplitude (100 JLm), and film thickness (55 p.m). The surface temperatures generated were generally low and below the glass transition temperatures of the rigid polymers studied. The magnitude of the surface temperatures was found to be particularly dependent on the size and distribution of real area(s) of contact. The most extensive studies were performed using polystyrene coatings. Effects of load, frequency, amplitude, and film thickness on surface temperature rise and the size and distributions of real area of contact were examined. In addition, uncoated steel specimens were studied under various loads and fretting amplitudes. The observed formation of iron oxide at low surface temperature (60°C) tribologica1 experiments was explained in terms of exoelectron emission. There were considerable differences observed in the behavior of polymeric coatings under various fretting conditions. The fretting behavior of the coatings was explained in terms of mechanical and thermo-elastic effects. Thermo-elastic predictions of size distributions of real contact areas (patches) showed good agreement with the observed photo/video studies. A mechanism was proposed for tribological behavior and fretting protection of polystyrene coatings. / Ph. D.

"Hot-tests" form a vital facet towards the end of the production line of modern automotive plants, where the condition of the engine is checked by running it for a short period of time, to ensure its performance under standard operating conditions. The duration of hot-tests for small engines varies from 20-75 seconds. In the conventional procedure, about 10-30 grams of lubricant (for pre-coating) is used with about 650ml of standard oil for engine testing. However, about 1-3 oz. of oil is lost per engine, as it cannot be sucked out of the crankcase after the hot tests. The loss of 1-3 oz. of oil leads to a significant loss in revenue, over the large number of engines manufactured. It also causes a potential safety and environmental hazard due to leakage of lubricant during shipping or upon first use in a particular application. The goal of this project is to conduct "no-oil" hot tests using less than 10 grams of specially formulated lubricants for pretreatment. Implementation of this procedure for conducting the hot tests in the manufacturing facility would save revenue and eliminate potential hazards mentioned above in addition to cutting down on manpower and/or machinery used for handling the engine oil. An experimental study of pre-treatment of interacting interfaces of engine components, with specially formulated lubricants, for no-oil hot tests is presented. This study includes sixteen tests performed on the production line of Tecumseh's small engine manufacturing plant. The formulated lubricants were made up of tribopolymer formers, i.e., monomers, which were used in previous tribopolymerization studies. Tribopolymerization is defined as the planned or intentional formation of protective polymeric films directly and continuously on rubbing surfaces to reduce damage and wear by the use of minor concentrations of selected compounds capable of forming polymeric films in situ. This study entailed the investigation of the anti-wear properties of the formulated lubricants on a high temperature pin-on-disk machine and subsequent selection of lubricants exhibiting superior performance for use in the engine tests. The no-oil hot-tests performed at Virginia Tech and on the assembly line exhibited the superior anti-scuffing/anti-wear properties of the specially formulated lubricants, to warrant their use on the production line in the near future. / Master of Science

An infrared microscope system was used to measure the temperatures at the interfaces of graphite-epoxy and carbon-PEEK composites in unidirectional sliding contact with sapphire. Effects of fiber orientation and velocity on tribological parameters were examined. Oscillating contact conditions with graphite-epoxy were also examined. Surface temperatures on the order of 100-160°C were measured at relatively low rates of frictional heat generation. The corresponding coefficients of friction were on the order of 0.45-0.65. In graphite-epoxy, fiber orientation was seen to affect coefficient of friction and wear significantly; but surface temperature was very little affected by fiber orientation. In carbon-PEEK, fiber orientation affected the coefficient of friction, wear and surface temperatures significantly. Surface temperatures in both materials initially increased with velocity, but stayed constant as the glass transition temperature of the matrix material was reached. The total wear is believed to be due to a combination of adhesive wear and fatigue wear. Comparison of the measured surface temperatures with theoretical predictions is done. A “two-velocity-regime” tribological model is proposed to explain the tribological behavior of polymer composites. / Master of Science

The objective of this study was to formulate a theoretical model and to develop an efficient and accurate solution method to predict the distribution of frictional heat and resulting temperature rise for simple systems with sliding contact. The solution method developed is a variation of the boundary integral equation method (BIEM) in which a moving, full-space Green's function is used as the fundamental solution. The numerical characteristics and limitations for the solution method are presented, as well as the physical parameters that affect the surface temperature rise. The analysis includes an arbitrary sliding velocity, with special focus on oscillating and unidirectional motion. Since the real contact area is extremely important, the theoretical analysis has the flexibility to handle any arbitrary contact area. Results are presented which display the effect of velocity or Peclet number, the frequency and amplitude of oscillation, and thermal properties. Also, results showing the effect of the number, spacing and orientation of the contact patches are presented. Finally, theoretical calculations corresponding to experiments involving a ball on an oscillating sapphire disk are presented and are found to correlate well with experimental data. / Master of Science

Wear mechanisms of the cutting tools are well investigated worldwide. Usually researchers use the cutting process itself, turning by single point cutting, as their investigation method, which includes turning a metal cylinder with a pre-selected work-material and predetermined cutting conditions. Thereafter the tool worn surface is examined by scanning electron microscopy in order to characterize the tool wear mechanisms and tool failure. However, this may be the most appropriate way to investigate the wear mechanisms which occur during machining since it simulates the real operation. Metal cutting involves extreme conditions such as high temperature and high-pressure and the different condition results in different wear modes on the insert’s surface. The wear modes are overlapping and the transition boarder between them are not sharp making it difficult to obtain a detailed information of wear mechanisms. Because of these reasons many researchers try to refine the machining to a single condition e.g; high pressure, at the laboratory level in order to characterize the wear mechanisms and to get a more detailed information. In this thesis the wear tests of the cutting tool are performed by using a slider-on-flat-surface (SOFS) wear tester. SOFS involves a normal load, which applies to the sample and a tangential force that enables the sliding of the sample against a counterface. To enable conducting the wear tests in SOFS a newly design of tool holder was prepared. The wear tests were performed at different contact conditions and the stainless steel EN 1.4310 was used as the counterface material. After the tools were tested, the worn surface of the tool was examined by optical light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy in order to identify the wear rate and wear mechanisms. At low load the dominating wear mechanism was adhesive wear. The adhesive wear was induced by material pick-up during sliding i.e. material from the counterface was transferred to the insert’s surface. Further sliding results in delamination of the insert surface and removal of a part of the coatings material. At high load the dominating wear mechanism was a combination of severe adhesive wear and fracture of the coating material. The fracture of the coating material occurred because of overloading. Coating defects promote crack formation under high load and these cracks propagate through the coating during sliding movement and result in microchipping of the coating material. This procedure does not simulate the metal cutting but it still gives an understanding of the behavior of the coating material when it is exposed to a high mechanical stress.