Advanced ceramic materials have found many new applications in the automotive and other industries. To satisfy demands of higher temperatures and inert surfaces, new lubrication methods for these ceramics need explored and evaluated. This thesis focuses on a boundary lubrication method termed tribopolymerization -- the formation of polymers at the tribological interphase. The research evaluated new high-temperature classes of anti-wear additives. The work involved experiments on steel and alumina material pairs with a pin-on-disk tribometer used to explore the anti-wear capabilities of selected additives in the liquid phase at concentrations of 1% by weight in hexadecane. New additives included aromatic compounds with various pendant groups adding the design functionality necessary for in-situ polymerization. The amino, hydroxyl, acid, and ester functional groups underwent studies across several aromatic molecular compositions while new heterocyclic additives, in particular the readily available lactams, underwent exploratory tests as a new class under the tribopolymerization design approach. In concentrations of 1%, additives showed significant wear reductions of up to 99.9 %. Anti-wear behavior persisted in select cases at concentrations as low as 0.1% by weight. Compounds from two new classes demonstrated anti-wear behavior at 6x the frictional heat generation of standard exploratory conditions. This surprising effect partially filled a void in the effective range of operating conditions between 0.25 m/s, 40 N and 1.0 m/s, 160 N. Earlier work by Tritt found a complete absence of anti-wear behavior for the previous additive classes at the high-speed conditions. In addition, several individual compounds constituent to an A-R-A + B-R'-B condensation polymerization reaction demonstrated significant anti-wear behavior when used alone. In particular, the compound BTDA from DuPont's Kapton® exhibited higher wear reductions than any other new additive. These findings support tribopolymerization as an effective approach to boundary lubricant design. Low wear was often associated with an attached reaction debris layer. This finding is consistent with previous work involving tribopolymerization anti-wear additives with ceramics. Further research into the roles of the debris layer and tribochemistry will help in understanding the complex anti-wear behavior of these new high-temperature additive classes. / Master of Science

Wheel wear profiles are interesting for both economic and performance reasons. A good wheel profile design should be able to resist wear and to allow stable vehicle running. The ability to resist wear reduces the wheel reprofiling and replacement cost. The ability to allow stable vehicle running is important for safety and ride quality. In this work, a wear model based upon the work done in the wheel/rail contact patch is used to predict wheel wear profiles. The effects of train dynamic response, random rail alignment and the non-linearity of wheel/rail contact geometry are included The distribution of contact patch work is obtained by discretized method and applied to the wheel wear problem. Using the contact patch work wear model, consecutive wheel wear profiles for tread contact and slight flange contact are predicted. These analytical wear profiles match well with experimental results and other analytical approaches. / Master of Science

A method is presented for the prediction of the wear history of a train wheel by a numerical simulation. The method consists of three fundamental steps. First, the wheel/rail contact geometry is characterized. Contact points, Herzian contact patch area and creep coefficients are determined as functions of the wheelset lateral position. Second, a time history of the wheelset positions and velocities is determined from a simulation of the vehicle response to a specified track input. Finally, a wear algorithm dependent on the geometry and the dynamics is used to compute the amounts of material to be removed at the discrete points describing the wheel profile. The process is repeated recurrently to simulate the gradual wearing of the wheel. The method has been tested with several different wear models and it has been found that worn profiles are relatively insensitive to the selection of wear model. A parametric study on the effect of creep coefficient and payload on wear rate has been used to differentiate the wear models. Results include predictions of AAR and CN worn wheel profiles. The predictions show that the CN profile wears parallel to the new profile. This trend has been observed in practice. / M.S.

In our aging population, arthritis is becoming an increasingly common problem. Pain, loss of joint function and other negative affects make arthritis a major health problem. The most common form of arthritis, osteoarthritis, is caused by the "wear and tear" of articular cartilage on the surface of bones in synovial joints. It is a chronic problem that is slowed with different types of therapies, including pharmaceutical, nutritional and surgical, but to date the wearing down of the cartilage cannot be stopped or reversed. Normal, mature, articular cartilage does not spontaneously repair itself after an injury. In light of this, several surgical techniques are being developed to repair degenerate and/or osteoarthritic cartilage. One such approach uses Autologous Chondrocyte Implantation (ACI). Dr. Mats Brittberg, and associates at Goteborg University in Sweden began using this cartilage repair procedure in 1987. Other techniques attempt to stimulate the subchondral bone to generate cartilage, such as Abrasion Arthroplasty. Still others use tissue grafts to attempt to repair lesions in cartilage. The surface biomechanics of these repaired tissues have not yet been studied. How well does the repaired cartilage resist wear? How long will it last? How does the repaired cartilage compare to "normal" cartilage in terms of wear-resistance? It is the goal of this research to gain initial knowledge to help answer these questions. Dr. Brittberg has provided 17 sample of cartilage, from 9 Swedish patients, including repaired and normal pairs using the aforementioned repair techniques and others, as well as a degenerate and normal cartilage pair. The intention of this paper is to report the findings of experiments performed using these samples, and compare the wear-resistance of repaired and degenerate cartilage to that of normal cartilage. Wear and friction tests were carried out on 2 mm diameter specimens using a biotribology device and a new, modified technique developed specifically for these small samples. The cartilage samples were mounted, using specially designed adapters, in our biotribology device for oscillating contact against polished stainless steel disks at a constant applied normal load, oscillating frequency, and test time. A buffered saline solution was used as the lubricant. Cartilage wear was determined from hydroxyproline analysis of the test fluid and washings from the wear test. Thin layers of transferred cartilage-like films to the stainless steel disks were also analyzed. Also, friction data was recorded throughout the tests. The results of these experiments show that: 1) For the two pairs of ACI repaired cartilage, the repaired cartilage gave substantially less wear than that of normal cartilage. 2) For all other repair techniques tested, the repaired cartilage produced more wear than normal cartilage. 3) The single osteoarthritic cartilage tested produced similar wear to that of normal cartilage. This is surprising since the current thought is osteoarthritic cartilage is more susceptible to wear. 4) The hydroxyproline concentration, by weight, of cartilage increases after the wear test. 5) Friction levels were in the boundary lubrication regime, and had no correlation with the amount of wear. To our knowledge, this research represents the first controlled "in vitro" study of an important unknown in cartilage repair, i.e., the wear-resistance of the repaired cartilage. It shows that ACI produces a cartilage with very good wear-resistance, better than that of other repair techniques, and possibly better than normal, healthy cartilage. ACI and its applications to the treatment of degenerate and osteoarthritic joints are promising, and studies will continue to investigate this and other types of cartilage repair. / Master of Science

No / This paper introduces a method to study the degree of change that affected a prehistoric context as the result of environmental processes. It is based on the direct examination of a representative sample of stone tool by-products, and on the identification of all surface alteration features. We summarize the theoretical bases for the formation of some wear features and the main results of a number of experiments involving interaction between chert flakes and sediments. Experimental results include: (1) the wear rate of flakes is not constant; (2) the wear rate increases as the size of the grains that compose the matrix increases; (3) fine grained chert resists wear better then coarse grained chert; and (4) the presence of moisture will trigger some chemical reactions that promote wear and the formation of films on chert surfaces. We apply these findings to the cave site of Grotta di Pozzo, Italy, and conclude that, strictly within the area sampled, there is low degree of disturbance and low intensity of chemical processes that may, however, confound the reconstruction of human activities in this part of the cave.

Yes / Fretting wear has a significant influence on wire rope fatigue life when in cyclic bending, particularly for crossed-wire contacts, where the interfacial motion of the surfaces is complex and multi-axial. To simulate these contacts in a controlled manner, a laboratory-scale, crossed-cylinder, reciprocating fretting wear test was developed. A broad range of contemporary lubrication technologies were evaluated using this method and a systematic multivariate statistical analysis was performed to identify the most significant lubrication-related parameters with respect to these fretting wear conditions. Wear area increase per slip cycle was the most relevant measure of wear damage, as this captured the influence of changes in the fretting wear regime during the test. The ability of a lubricant to reduce damaging fretting wear during the run-in phase was the biggest influence on long-term fretting wear, particularly for grease-lubricated contacts.

Fretting phenomenon occurs when two bodies in contact undergo small repetitive relative motion such that the localized surface and subsurface material properties are altered leading to damage or failures. Fretting conditions are obtained by controlling externally applied parameters such as load, frequency of displacement, displacement amplitude. Material properties which influence fretting behavior include hardness, ductility, hardening behavior. External parameters like surface roughness, temperature also play a role in deciding the extent of damage. Based on fretting conditions and specimen geometry, various fretting modes can be classified. Rotational fretting is one such damage mode, observed in industrial applications such as cable ropes under tension used for support in construction industry and variable stator vanes (VSVs) in compressors of turbines. In spite of industrial and engineering relevance, rotational fretting has received little attention. In the present work, rotational fretting of self-mated AISI 4340 material pair was studied, with the objective of characterizing subsurface damage induced by fretting. AISI 4340 (EN 24) is a low alloy martensitic steel with an excellent combination of strength, ductility and toughness. It is widely used in high strength cyclic loading applications like gears, bearings, automobile pistons and aircraft landing gears as well as in low corrosion, high strength offshore applications. It can be readily machined and surface hardened which makes it useful for wear related applications. A novel rotational fretting test set up, capable of operating under various test loads, frequencies, displacement amplitudes and temperatures was used to perform experiments. Specimens were subjected to a combination of normal load and rotational displacement and caused to mutually contact on non-conformal curved surfaces which simulate a bearing or bushing geometry. Fretting results were primarily determined by the frictional torque versus angular displacement plots. The running condition response was linked to the fretting material response regime. Surface and subsurface characterization studies of fretted regions were conducted using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). TEM studies revealed varying levels of fretting induced plastic deformation within the fretted contact zone. Good correlation with available literature relating to formation of dislocation cells and presence of high dislocation density in the fretting damaged regions was established. Although quantifying the dislocation density as a damage indicator is a challenge, it is proposed that a microstructural feature based approach has the potential to be developed into a useful tool for life assessment and life prediction studies.

For many years, buckets have been equipped with teeth to help penetrate, gouge and breakout materials. The teeth also works as wear parts and can be replaced when they are worn down, and thus increase the service life of the bucket. The first teeth were made like a one-piece design and to replace such tooth required both cutting and welding which was very time consuming. Today’s modern teeth consist of an adapter that is welded on the bucket and a tooth with a locking system that makes it easy to replace the tooth when needed. The teeth on the market today are cast, which means that the hardness cannot be guaranteed through the whole cast and the hardest tooth is measured to be around 500 HB.   SSABs brand Hardox is the toughest steel on the market. It is extremely wear resistant and has a three time longer service life than ordinary steel. To increase the use of Hardox the possibility to manufacture bucket teeth of three or more plates are examined.   This thesis has applied a product development process to mainly develop concepts of the locking system that holds the adapter and tooth together. The locking systems main requirement is to be hammerless, meaning that it is not hammered in, due to the high risk of injury and longer assembly time. Apart from, the geometry of the tooth will be developed to give a better wear resistance.   The result is a tooth with at least twice as long service life than the cast competitors and two concepts of locking system. Both locking systems meet the requirement of being hammerless and the sustainability is ensured with calculations of shear force. The geometry of the tooth is design to be self-sharpening, which allows it to stay sharper throughout its service life. Wear test using DEM analysis assure a positive outcome.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the saleability judgements of retail store buyers of women's and men's wear. A sample of 81 women's and men's wear buyers, representing two specialty stores and one mass merchandiser, was sent questionnaires. Principal Components Factor Analysis with Varimax Rotation was used to reduce the number of product, vendor and information source variables to eight factors. Three significant differences existed between the women's wear and men's wear buyers, verifying that not all retail buyers are alike. Results will benefit educators in preparing students to become more effective buyers, retail management can incorporate this same information into a buyer training program and apparel manufacturers can use the study in planning product strategies to retailers.

Ti and Ti-based alloys are used in many aerospace and automotive components due to their high strength-to-weight ratio and corrosion resistance. However, room and elevated temperature wear resistance remain an issue, thus requiring some form of secondary hard phase, e.g., refractory carbides and oxides, as well as solid lubrication to mitigate wear. In this study, Ti-TiC (14, 24 and 35 vol% TiC) composite coatings were deposited on mild steel substrates using cold spray with comparisons made to baseline cold-sprayed Ti. The dry sliding friction and wear behavior were studied from 25°C to 575°C and during thermal cycling in this temperature range. While the room temperature friction coefficient of all the coatings remained relatively constant at ~0.5, the wear rate continually decreased from ~1x10-3 to ~2x10-5 mm3/N-m with increasing the TiC loading. Raman spectroscopy measurements determined that the same TiO2 tribochemical phases (rutile and anatase) were present on the room temperature sliding wear surfaces, thus responsible for similar friction coefficients. With increasing sliding temperatures to 575°C, the Ti-35%TiC composite coating exhibited the best overall tribological behavior, i.e., the friction coefficient decreased to ~0.3 along with a negative wear rate of -6.6x10-5 mm3/N-m (material gain on the wear track was recorded due to oxidation and transfer from the counterface). These friction and wear reductions were determined to be due to the formation of stable, low interfacial shear strength oxide glaze layers on the wear surfaces, composed of TiO2, WO3, and CoWO4 (transfer from WC-Co counterface). In addition, self-adaptive friction behavior was observed during thermal cycling as a result of the microstructural and tribochemical differences in the tribolayers.