Friction and wear properties of copper matrix composites reinforced by tungsten-coated carbon nanotubes

Carbon nanotubes （CNTs） were coated by tungsten layer using metal organic chemical vapor deposition process with tungsten hexacarbonyl as a precursor. The W-coated CNTs （W-CNTs） were dispersed into Cu powders by magnetic stirring process and then the mixed powders were consolidated by spark plasma sintering to fabricate W-CNTs/Cu composites. The CNTs/Cu composites were fabricated using the similafprocesses. The friction coefficient and mass wear loss of W-CNTs/Cu and CNTs/Cu composites were studied. The results showed that the W-CNT content, interfacial bonding situation, and applied load could influence the friction coefficient and wear loss of W-CNTs/Cu com- posites. When the W-CNT content was 1.0 wt.%, the W-CNTs/Cu composites got the minimum friction coefficient and wear loss, which were decreased by 72.1% and 47.6%, respectively, compared with pure Cu specimen. The friction coefficient and wear loss of W-CNTs/Cu composites were lower than those of CNTs/Cu composites, which was due to that the interracial bonding at （W-CNTs）-Cu interface was better than that at CNTs-Cu interface. The friction coefficient of composites did not vary obviously with increasing applied load, while the wear loss of composites increased significantly with the increase of applied load.

Friction and Wear Properties of Amorphous Carbon Nitride Coatings in Water Lubrication

The friction and wear properties of amorphous carbon nitride(a-CN x)coatings in water lubrication were reviewed.The influences of mating materials and tribological variables such as normal load(W)and sliding speed(V)on the friction and wear properties of the a-CN x coatings were analyzed.It was indicated that the specific wear rate of the a-CN x coatings was related to the hydration reaction of mating materials with water.If the mating materials were easily hydrated,the specific wear rate of a-CN x coatings was low.The water-lubricated properties of the a-CN x coatings were better in comparison to the a-C coatings.The a-CN x/Si-based non-oxide ceramics tribo-pairs exhibited the lowest friction coefficient and wear rate.To describe their friction and wear properties at the normal loads of 3—15Nand the sliding speeds of 0.05—0.5m/s,the wear-mechanism maps for the a-CN x/SiC(Si3N4)tribo-pairs in water were developed.

Tribological and electric-arc behaviors of carbon/copper pair during sliding friction process with electric current applied

The tribological behaviors of carbon block sliding against copper ring with and without electric current applied were investigated by using an advanced multifunctional friction and wear tester, and the electric-arc behaviors were analyzed in detail. The results show that the normal load is one of the main controlling factors for generation of electric arc during friction process with electric current applied. The strength of electric arc is enhanced with the decrease of normal loads and the increase of electric currents. The unstable friction process and the fluctuated dynamic friction coefficients are strongly dependent upon the electric arc. The wear volumes and the wear mechanism of carbon brush were affected by the electric arc obviously. As no electric arc occurs, no clear discrepancy of the wear volumes of the carbon samples with and without electric current applied could be detected. While the wear mechanisms are mainly mechanical wear. However, under the condition of the electric arc appearance, the wear volume of carbon with electric current applied increases much more rapidly than that without electric current applied and also increases obviously with the increase of electric current strengths and the decrease of normal loads. The wear mechanisms of carbon block are mainly electric arc ablation accompanying with adhesive wear and material transferring.

Deposition behavior and tribological properties of diamond-like carbon coatings on stainless steels via chemical vapor deposition

A systematic investigation was carried out to observe the deposition rate of a diamond-like carbon(DLC) coating on two stainless steel substrates by chemical vapor deposition(CVD). The objective of this research is to study the deposition behavior of the DLC coating and its tribological properties in different combinations of methane(CH_4) and nitrogen, which were used as precursor gases. The results reveal that the deposition rate increases with increasing CH_4 content up to 50 vol%. The hardness of the DLC-deposited layer also increases while the friction coefficient decreases with increasing CH_4 gas content up to 50% in the precursor gas mixture.

Friction and wear behavior and mechanism of low carbon microalloyed steel containing Nb

Dry sliding friction and wear test of Nb containing low carbon microalloyed steel was carried out at room temperature,and the effect of Nb on the wear behavior of the steel,as welll as the mechanism was studied.Scanning electron microscopy(SEM) and energy dispersive spectrometry(EDS) were employed to analyze the morphology and composition of the worn surface,and the structure evolution of the plastic deformation layer.The carbide content and type in the steel were analyzed by the electrolytic extraction device and X-ray diffraction(XRD).The experimental results demonstrate that the addition of 0.2% Nb can refine the grain and generate Nb C to improve the wear resistance of the steel.By enhancing the load and speed of wear experiment,the wear mechanism of the test steel with 0.2% Nb changes from slight oxidation wear to severe adhesion wear and oxidation wear.Compared with the load,the increase in the rotation speed exerts a greater influence on the wear of the test steel.

Diamond-like carbon films synthesized on bearing steel surface by plasma immersion ion implantation and deposition

Diamond-like carbon (DLC) films were synthesized by plasma immersion ion implantation and deposition (PIIID) on 9Cr18 bearing steel surface. Influences of working gas pressure and pulse width of the bias voltage on properties of the thin film were investigated. The chemical compositions of the as-deposited films were characterized by Raman spectroscopy. The micro-hardness, friction and wear behavior, corrosion resistance of the samples were evaluated, respectively. Compared with uncoated substrates, micro-hardness results reveal that the maximum is increased by 88.7%. In addition, the friction coefficient decreases to about 0.1, and the corrosion resistance of treated coupons surface are improved significantly.

Wear and transfer characteristics of carbon fiber reinforced polymer composites under water lubrication

The tribological characteristics of carbon fiber reinforced polymer composites under distilled-water-lubricated-sliding and dry-sliding against stainless steel were comparatively investigated. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was utilized to examine composite microstructures and modes of failure. The typical chemical states of elements of the transfer film on the stainless steel were examined with X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Wear testing and SEM analysis show that all the composites hold the lowered friction coefficient and show much better wear resistance under water lubricated sliding against stainless steel than those under dry sliding. The wear of composites is characterized by plastic deformation, scuffing, micro cracking, and spalling under both dry-sliding and water lubricated conditions. Plastic deformation, scuffing, micro cracking, and spalling, however, are significantly abated under water-lubricated condition. XPS analysis conforms that none of the materials produces transfer films on the stainless steel counterface with the type familiar from dry sliding, and the transfer of composites onto the counterpart ring surface is significantly hindered while the oxidation of the stainless steel is speeded under water lubrication. The composites hinder transfer onto the steel surface and the boundary lubricating action of water accounts for the much smaller wear rate under water lubrication compared with that under dry sliding. The easier transfer of the composite onto the counterpart steel surface accounts for the larger wear rate of the polymer composite under dry sliding.

Preparation and tribological performances of Ni-P-multi-walled carbon nanotubes composite coatings

Multi-walled carbon nanotubes （MWNTs） were wet-milled in the presence of ammonia and cationic surfactant and then used as reinforcements to prepare Ni-P-MWNTs composite coatings by electroless plating. The tribological performances of the composite coatings under dry condition were investigated in comparison with 45 steel and conventional Ni-P coating, Micrographs show that short MWNTs with uniform length and open tips were obtained through the wet-milling process. The results of wear test reveal that the Ni-P-MWNTs composite coatings posses much better friction reduction and anti-wear performances when compared with 45 steel and Ni-P coating. Within the MWNTs content range of 0.74%-1.97%, the friction coefficient and the volume wear rate of the composite coatings decrease gradually and reach the minimum values of 0.08 and 6.22x10-15 m3/（N.m）, respectively. The excellent tribological performances of the composite coatings can be attributed to the introduction of MWNTs, which play both roles of reinforcements and solid lubricant during the wear process.

Properties of copper/graphite/carbon nanotubes composite reinforced by carbon nanotubes

Electroless Cu plating was used for flake G powder and CNTs, Cu-G-CNTs （copper/graphite/carbon nanotubes） composites were manufactured by means of powder metallurgical method. The influences of CNTs on the mechanical properties, conductivity properties, friction, and wear performance of the composite were examined. The results indicate that adding a small amount of CNTs can improve comprehensive property of the composites, especially mechanical property. However, excessive CNT, which is easily winding reunion and grain boundary seg- regation, results in performances degradation.

Comparative study on tribological properties of isostatic graphite and carbon graphite under dry sliding and water-lubricated conditions

The tribological properties of isostatic graphite and carbon graphite under dry sliding and water lubricated conditions were studied.The friction test was conducted by using a pin-on-disc tribometer.The friction coefficient and the wear rate were employed to evaluate the tribological performances of the two materials,and wear morphology was used to analyze the wear mechanism.The results show that the friction coefficient of the isostatic graphite is larger than that of the carbon graphite under the dry sliding condition,and the wear rate is lower than that of the carbon graphite.Under the water lubricated condition,the friction coefficients and the wear rates of the isostatic graphite decrease obviously.The main wear form of the isostatic graphite is abrasive wear,while the main wear form of the carbon graphite is spalling wear.Finally,the tribological mechanism of the isostatic graphite under dry sliding and water lubricated conditions were systematically analyzed.

Electroless plating Ni-P matrix composite coating reinforced by carbon nanotubes

Ni-P matrix composite coating reinforced by carbon nanotubes (CNTs) was deposit ed by electroless plating. The most important factors that influence the content of carbon nanotubes in deposits,such as agitation,surfactant and carbon nanot ubes concentration in the plating bath were investigated. The surface morphology,structure and properties of the Ni-P-CNTs coating were examined. It is found that the maximum content of carbon nanotubes in the deposits is independent of carbon nanotubes concentration in the plating bath when it is up to 5 mg/L. The test results show that the carbon nanotubes co-deposited do not change the str ucture of the Ni-P matrix of the composite coating,but greatly increase the ha rdness and wear resistance and decrease the friction coefficient of the Ni-P-C NTs composite coating with increasing content of carbon nanotubes in deposits.

High specific strength MWCNTs/Mg-14Li-1Al composite prepared by electrophoretic deposition, friction stir processing and cold rolling

Multi-wall carbon nanotubes reinforced Mg-14Li-1Al composite(MWCNTs/Mg-14Li-1Al) was prepared by the processes of electrophoretic deposition, friction stir processing, and cold rolling. The microstructure and mechanical properties of the composite were investigated. The results show that, the microhardness of the composite is up to HV 84.4, which is 91.38% higher than that of the as-cast matrix alloy(HV 44.1). The yield strength and ultimate tensile strength of the composite are 259 and 313 MPa, which are 135.45% and 115.86% higher than those of the as-cast matrix alloy, respectively, and a high specific strength of 221.98 k N·m/kg is obtained. In the composite, the MWCNTs serve as nucleation particles during the friction stir processing and cold rolling, causing dynamic recrystallization and grain refinement. Furthermore, MWCNTs hinder the movement of dislocations and transfer the load from the matrix alloy, thus improving the strength.

Microtribology of Nitrogen-doped Amorphous Carbon Coatings

The friction, wear and lubrication of carbon nitride coatings on silicon substrates are studied using a spherical diamond counter-face with nano-scale asperities. The first part of this paper clarifies the coating thickness effect on factional behavior of carbon nitride coatings. The second part of this paper reports empirical data on wear properties in repeated sliding contacts through in situ examination and post-sliding observation. The third part will concentrate on wear mechanisms for the transition from "No observable wear particles" to "Wear particle generation." In light of the above tribological study, the application of carbon nitride coatings to MicroElectroMechanical system (MEMS) is therefore discussed from view points of both microtribology and micromachining.

Electrospark Coatings Based on WC-Co Alloys with Aluminium Oxide and Carbon Additives

The structure and properties of coatings based on WC-Co alloys containing additives of 1% - 5% aluminium oxide and 2.5% - 4.5% carbon were investigated. The coatings had a nanocrystalline structure. Depending on the duration and frequency of the discharge pulses, the ratio between WC and W2C in the coatings was different. The additives in the hard alloy allowed us increase the microhardness and wear resistance of the coatings by a factor of 2 - 3 in comparison to coatings created using a conventional WC-10%Co alloy.

Surface Functionalized Carbon Nanofibers and Their Effect on the Dispersion and Tribological Property of Epoxy Nanocomposites

Surface functionalization of carbon nanofibers（CNFs） was carried out, i e, CNFs were firstly oxidized and then the surface was silanized by 3-Aminopropyltriethoxysilane（APTES） via an assembly method. A new kind of high wear resistance s-CNFs/epoxy composite was fabricated by in-situ reaction. FTIR spectroscopy was used to detect the changes of the functional groups produced by silane on the surface of CNFs. The tribological properties and microstructures of modified and unmodified CNFs/epoxy composites were studied, respectively. The expremental results indicate that APTES is covalently linked to the surface of CNFs successfully and improves the dispersion of CNF in epoxy matrix. The friction coefficients and the wear rates of s-CNFs/epoxy composites are evidently lower than those of u-CNFs/epoxy composites under the same loads. Investigations also indicate that abrasive wear is the main wear mechanism for u-CNFs/epoxy composite, with slight adhesive wear for s-CNFs/epoxy composite under the same sliding wear condition.

Effect of glucose concentrations on wear resistance of Al/APC composites prepared by hydrothermal carbonized deposition on chips

In this study,a novel method termed hydrothermal carbonized deposition on chips(HTCDC)is proposed to prepare aluminum alloy-amorphous carbon(Al/APC)composites.The influences of glucose concentration in hydrothermally reaction on the microstructure and wear resistance of the Al/APC composites were thoroughly studied.Amorphous carbon was deposited by HTCDC onto Al–20Si chips as a supporter.The Al/APC composites were prepared by hot extrusion from the chips.The results indicated that a uniform carbon film was successfully synthesized on the surface of the chips,improving the wear resistance of the Al/APC composites.With increasing concentration of glucose solution,the size and the number of delamination on the wear surface and the coefficient of friction decreased,and the wear rate decreased at first and then increased.In addition,the dehydration and carbonization processes in the hydrothermal reaction of glucose were analyzed.A schematic model of the wear surface of the Al/APC composites was established and the wear mechanisms were discussed.

Preparation of Ni-CNT composite coatings on aluminum substrate and its friction and wear behavior

Nickel-carbon nanotube(CNT) composite coatings with a Zn-Ni interlayer were prepared by electrodeposition technique on aluminum substrate. The effects of CNT concentration in plating bath on the volume fraction of CNTs in the deposits and the coating growth rate were investigated. The friction and wear behavior of the Ni-CNT composite coatings were examined using a pin-on-disk wear tester under dry sliding conditions at a sliding speed of 0.062 3 m/s and load range from 12 N to 150 N. Because of the reinforcement of CNTs in the composite coatings, at lower applied loads, the wear resistance was improved with increasing volume fraction of CNTs. Since cracking and peeling occur on the worn surface, the wear rates of composite coatings with high volume fraction of CNTs increase rapidly at higher applied loads. The friction coefficient of the composite coatings decreases with the increasing volume fraction of CNTs due to the reinforcement and self-lubrication of CNTs.

Friction and wear characteristics of robust carbon–carbon composites developed solely from petroleum pitch without reimpregnation

Friction and wear characteristics correlating the fiber reinforcement percentage of carbon–carbon (C/C) composites solely developed from petroleum pitch matrices were investigated. This study exhibits the tribo-characteristics of C/C composites developed in a single-step carbonization process for varying loads for the first time without a reimpregnation process. A pin-on-disc tribometer with a sliding speed of 0.5 m/s and loads of 5, 10, and 20 N with a flat tool grade stainless steel pin as a static partner was employed. Further, polarized light optical and scanning electron microscopes (SEM) were utilized for a morphological analysis. Elastic modulus and strength were determined by a compression test. A result analysis is conducted to analyze sliding wear accompanied with minor abrasion. The composites with a high percentage of reinforcement exhibit credible wear resistance and mechanical robustness.

Tribological behaviour of fused deposition modelling printed short carbon fibre reinforced nylon composites with surface textures under dry and water lubricated conditions

Fused deposition modelling(FDM)printed short carbon fibre reinforced nylon(SCFRN)composites were fabricated.The friction and wear behaviour of printed materials were systematically investigated under both dry sliding and water lubricated conditions.The results showed that with short fibre enhancements,the printed SCFRN achieved a lower friction coefficient and higher wear resistance than nylon under all tested conditions.Further,under water lubricated conditions,the printed SCFRN exhibited a low,stable friction coefficient due to the cooling and lubricating effects of water.However,the specific wear rate of the printed specimens could be higher than that obtained under dry sliding conditions,especially when the load was relatively low.The square textured surface was designed and created in the printing process to improve materials’tribological performance.It was found that with the textured surface,the wear resistance of the printed SCFRN was improved under dry sliding conditions,which could be explained by the debris collection or cleaning effect of surface texture.However,such a cleaning effect was less noticeable under lubricated conditions,as the liquid could clean the surface effectively.On the other hand,surface textures could increase the surface area exposed to water,causing surface softening due to the higher water absorption rate.As a result,the samples having surface textures showed higher wear rates under lubricated conditions.The work has provided new insights into designing wear resistant polymer materials using three-dimensional(3D)printing technologies,subjected to different sliding conditions.

Effect of carbon nanotubes on friction and wear of a piston ring and cylinder liner system under dry and lubricated conditions

This study involves the application of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) to a piston ring and cylinder liner system in order to investigate their effect on friction and wear under dry and lubricated conditions.Carbon nanotubes were used as a solid lubricant and lubricant additive in dry and lubricated conditions,respectively.Simulation and measurement of friction and wear were conducted using a reciprocating tribometer.Surface analysis was performed using a scanning electron microscope and an energy dispersive spectrometer.The results indicate that carbon nanotubes can considerably improve the tribological performance of a piston ring and cylinder liner system under dry sliding conditions,whereas improvement under lubricated conditions is not obvious.Under dry friction,the effective time of the CNTs is limited and the friction coefficient decreases with an increase in CNT content.Furthermore,the dominant wear mechanism during dry friction is adhesive.