Lubricants

The conventional pneumatic Minimum Quantity Lubrication (MQL), when not properly designed, may have poor atomization and insufficient wetting performance, resulting in higher oil mist concentration and poor film formation ability in the cutting zone. The intervention of an external electric field can change the atomization mechanism of microdroplets and enhance the lubrication and cooling capability of MQL. However, the mechanism of the effect of jet parameters on the atomization performance of Electrostatic Minimum Quantity Lubrication (EMQL) under the synergistic effect of multiple fields has not been fully analyzed. In this paper, based on the designed needle electrode charging nozzle, the atomization medium charging and atomization mechanisms are investigated, and a mathematical model of the volume average diameter of droplets (VAD) is established. Based on multi-parameter atomization experiments, the electrode conical jet atomization model is validated and the mechanism of the influence of jet parameters on the atomization characteristics is analyzed. The results show that the VAD is negatively correlated with air pressure and electrical. The atomization performance of the droplets was improved under the applied voltage condition, which was manifested by the obvious refinement of the VAD, with a maximum reduction of 34.67%, a maximum reduction of 20% in the droplet group size distribution span(R.S.), and a different degree of reduction in the percentage concentration of fine particulate matter. In addition, the model fitted well with the experimental values, with an overall error of about 10%. Full article

Although rotary shaft seals have been used successfully in many industrial applications for decades, their tribological behavior is still not completely understood. In-depth knowledge of the structural mechanics is essential for the design and optimization of such sealing systems. High complexity results from the multiscale interactions in the tribological system rotary shaft seal. Large macroscopic deformations occur due to the hyperelastic material behavior of elastomers coupled with microscopic tangential distortions of the sealing edge surface in the contact area. This paper includes both numerical and experimental studies on the tribological behavior of rotary shaft seals. A multiscale finite element model provides the simulation of the macroscopic deformations and the microscopic displacements. A test rig equipped with a hollow glass shaft enables in situ visual contact analyses, qualitative determinations of pressure distributions and quantitative measurements of elastomer surface distortions. The optical phenomenon of frustrated total internal reflection enables qualitative evaluations of the pressure distribution. Particle image velocimetry (PIV) is employed to quantify the tangential distortions. The test rig enables the measurement of the friction torque with the same configuration. The results of the numerical and experimental investigations for the radial load, friction torque and tangential distortions are compared and discussed. This serves to validate the simulation methods and the correlation of the measured parameters. This finally results in a solid and validated basis for further tribological investigations of rotary shaft seals. Full article

Solid asperity interactions are common and inevitable under severe loading conditions for any lubricated contact. Heavy-duty machine components (gears, bearings, etc.) generally operate under Mixed Lubrication (ML), where uneven surface features contact each other when the generated fluid pressure is not enough to support the external load. The Reynolds equation is commonly used to simulate smooth lubricated contacts numerically. In rough lubricated interfaces where opposite surface asperities make contact, the Reynolds equation alone cannot accurately predict pressure using the traditional numerical simulation method. In this paper, lubrication–contact interface conditions (LCICs) have been implemented and extended to solve the multiple asperity contact problem using the full-multigrid approach. The developed novel algorithm has significantly accelerated the solution process and improved the accuracy and efficiency of pressure calculation for fluid–solid sub-interactions that can occur in ML regions. The results of the finite difference method (FDM) results have been compared with those of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation to validate the newly developed model. Hence, the proposed optimized solution method will provide valuable insight to researchers and industry engineers interested in simulating the ML problem where the effect of the fluid–solid interface can be captured effectively to improve reliability in the calculation of the life expectancy of the lubricated parts. Full article

The generation of wheel–rail-sliding frictional heat is often accompanied by transverse displacement of a wheel. To study the thermal problem of wheel–rail sliding friction at two-point contact, this paper uses an LM tread wheel and a 60 kg·m⁻¹ rail as examples. A thermal–mechanical-coupled finite-element model of equal proportion wheel–rail sliding is established. A direct-coupling method is used to analyze the thermal–mechanical coupling of the wheel–rail interface under sliding contact. This model considers the temperature-dependent material properties and boundary conditions, such as thermal convection and thermal dissipation, in the process of nonstationary frictional-heat conduction. Firstly, the effects of different sliding speeds, axle loads, and contact modes on the temperature and stress fields of the contact area are analyzed. Then, the lubrication and cooling effects of friction modifiers on the rail top and rail gauge angle are compared. The results show that, at a sliding speed of 2 m/s and an axle load of 30 t under a sliding condition of 200 mm, on the top and side of the rail, the temperatures at the contact patch centers are 813 °C and 547.7 °C, respectively. Under different operating conditions, the rail-side temperature is 55–75% of that of the temperature at the rail top, and the rail-side contact and friction stress values are 76–96% of those at the rail top. This indicates that frictional thermal damage on the rail side cannot be ignored. With a lower sliding speed, the thermal response of the two contact patches is closer. The impact of axle load on the frictional temperature and stress on the rail side is more critical than the sliding speed. The optimal lubrication choice is overall lubrication, which can decrease the rail top temperature by 47.2% and frictional stress by 56.2%, as well as decreasing the rail side temperature by 70.3% and frictional stress by 77.4%. Full article

To investigate the influence of the structural deformation of the wheelset and track on rail wear in the longitudinal and lateral directions, a rail wear prediction model is established that can calculate the three-dimensional distribution of rail wear. The difference between the multi-rigid-body dynamic model and the rigid-flexible coupled dynamic model, which considers the structural flexibility of the wheelset and track, is compared in terms of the three-dimensional distribution of rail wear. The results show that the three-dimensional distributions of rail wear predicted by the two models are relatively similar. There is no obvious difference in the wear band, and the rail wear in the longitudinal direction is almost identical. The cross sections of the worn rail shapes determined by the two models are essentially the same, with a maximum difference of 3.6% in the average value of the wear areas of all cross sections. The track irregularity is the main reason for the uneven distribution of rail wear in the longitudinal direction. The position where the rail wear is more pronounced hardly varies with the evolution of the rail wear. It is recommended to use a multi-rigid-body dynamic model for the prediction of rail wear, which allows both calculation accuracy and efficiency. Full article

The present study proposes the further validation of a simple mathematical procedure recently proposed by the authors to describe contact and wear evolution in line and point contacts. The procedure assumed that the maximum contact pressure could be determined using Hertz equations and a parabolic pressure profile. The contact half-width was obtained using the equilibrium equation and the Archard wear law. Several cases were selected from the literature, reporting experimental data or Finite Element simulations, and the results were compared to those obtained with the proposed approach. This paper confirms the reliability and potentialities of the proposed analytical procedure, which is capable of providing accurate solutions in case of frictional contacts and at the borders of the contact area, where the main discrepancies were found in the previous study. Full article

Silicon carbide (SiC) is widely used as a power semiconductor substrate material, even if it takes a large amount of processing time to secure an appropriate surface as a wafer for devices after chemical mechanical polishing (CMP). Therefore, studies on SiC CMP have focused on shortening the processing time by increasing material removal efficiency. Among the methods of SiC CMP that have been widely studied recently, the photocatalysis-assisted CMP (PCMP) method is known to efficiently increase the material removal rate (MRR) of SiC under UV light and photocatalysts. However, a limited number of comparative studies have been conducted on PCMP from a tribology perspective. In this article, a comparative study was conducted from a tribology perspective on CMP, mixed abrasive slurry CMP (MAS CMP), and PCMP. The experimental results demonstrated that SiC PCMP has higher friction and processing temperature than MAS CMP and general CMP, which may be caused by photocatalytic oxidation and the TiO₂ particles used as photocatalysts. Full article

This paper presents a novel approach for simulating adhesive wear in elastic–plastic spherical contacts using an improved finite element sub-model. Initially, a global model with a coarse mesh identifies the potential wear region under combined normal loading and tangential displacement. Subsequently, a refined mesh sub-model simulates the crack initiation and propagation until the formation of a wear particle. This refined sub-model efficiently handles a wide range of spherical radii and normal loads. An expression is derived relating the dimensionless wear volume and wear rate to the dimensionless normal load, revealing the limited effect of the sphere radius on the wear rate. The effect of the mechanical properties on the wear particle morphology is also analyzed. Full article

The purpose of this work was to study the effect of roller burnishing process on tribological properties of 36CrNiMo4 steel. The experiments were performed under dry and starved lubrication contact conditions. The influence of selected parameters such as applied load, sliding speed, and sliding distance on the coefficient of friction and wear volume was investigated. The Taguchi technique was used to estimate the parameters significantly affecting the tribological properties. The levels of tested input factors were as follows: applied load—5, 10, and 15 N, sliding speed—0.24, 0.48, and 0.72 m/s, and sliding distance—160, 282, and 404 m. The results revealed that load was the most dominating factor that affects the wear volume and the coefficient of friction. The influence of other input factors was smaller. Regression analysis was also performed to predict tribological behavior. The results demonstrated good agreement between experimental and predicted results. The worn-out samples were analyzed using SEM to reveal the wear mechanism. Full article

In winter sports, the equipment often comes into contact with snow or ice, and this contact generates a force that resists motion. In some sports, such as cross-country skiing, this resistive force can significantly affect the outcome of a race, as a small reduction in this force can give an athlete an advantage. Researchers have examined the contact between skis and snow in detail, and to fully understand this friction, the entire ski must be studied at various scales. At the macro scale, the entire geometry of the ski is considered and the apparent contact between the ski and the snow is considered and at the micro-scale the contact between the snow and the ski-base textures. In the present work, a method for characterising the contact between the ski-base texture and virtual snow will be presented. Six different ski-base textures will be considered. Five of them are stone-ground ski bases, and three of them have longitudinal linear textures with a varying number of lines and peak-to-valley heights, and the other two are factory-ground “universal” ski bases. The sixth ski base has been fabricated by a steel-scraping procedure. In general, the results show that a ski base texture with a higher $S_{pk}$ value has less real contact area, and that the mutual differences can be large for surfaces with similar $S_a$ values. The average interfacial separation is, in general, correlated with the $S_a$ value, where a “rougher” surface exhibits a larger average interfacial separation. The results for the reciprocal average interfacial separation, which is related to the Couette type of viscous friction, were in line with the general consensus that a “rougher” texture performs better at high speed than a “smoother” one, and it was found that a texture with high $S_a$ and $S_{pk}$ values resulted in a low reciprocal average interfacial separation and consequently low viscous friction. The reciprocal average interfacial separation was found to increase with increasing real contact area, indicating a correlation between the real area of contact and the Couette part of the viscous friction. Full article

An understanding of the proper application of metalworking fluids (MWFs) is necessary for their implementation in efficient production processes. In addition, the knowledge of the process-related aspect of chip transport and the macroscopic cooling effect, the characteristics and properties of lubricant film formation, and the cooling conditions in the secondary shear zone on the chip surface, i.e., in the direct vicinity of the material separation, represent a combined fundamental scientific issue within production engineering. The aim is to transfer methods from the field of tribology of machine elements, which have already led to a considerable gain in knowledge in this discipline, to machining and to couple them with already established approaches to machining. In the case of roller bearings, the contact pressure is in the range as the pressure in the contact zone between the cutting insert and chip. Due to this, established methods might be transferred to the cutting process. In addition to classical pin-on-plate and pin-on-ring friction investigations, film thickness measurements were carried out and compared to machining tests. The coefficient of friction determined in the planing test rig is 0.48 for dry cutting, while it is 0.47 for wet cutting. These two values are much larger than the CoF with MWFs measured on the two tribometers. It is shown that the boundary friction of MWF especially influences the machining process. Thus, additives in MWF might have a high significance in machining. Full article

In this study, we developed the electrical impedance method which simultaneously measures the thickness and breakdown ratio of oil films in elastohydrodynamic (EHD) line contacts within thrust needle roller bearings. Initially, we theoretically demonstrated that the oil film thickness and breakdown ratio can be simultaneously measured using the complex impedance that is produced when an AC voltage is applied to EHD line contacts. To verify the measurement accuracy of the electrical method, we monitored the oil film thickness of a thrust needle roller bearing and compared it with the theoretical value. The results revealed that the oil film thickness was thinner than the theoretical value immediately after starting the test, with the breakdown ratio being greater than 0 (indicating mixed lubrication); however, the breakdown ratio decreased over time, and the oil film thickness nearly matched the theoretical value one hour after starting the test, when it is believed that running-in wear is complete (i.e., breakdown ratio ≈ 0). Furthermore, following the test, after examining the race surface, we confirmed that running-in wear had indeed occurred. These results suggest that the developed method can monitor the lubrication conditions in EHD line contacts, such as those in thrust needle roller bearings, in detail. Full article

Press hardened components have become widespread in the automotive industry in structural and crash-resistant applications, thanks to the combination of the complex shapes and high mechanical properties obtained. However, the press hardening of coated boron steel results in severe adhesive-based wear, with tool maintenance being required in as few as 3000 cycles. The current industrial implementation of press hardening is defined to work around this phenomenon. While this aspect has been studied by different authors, most of the literature deals with laboratory-scale tribosimulators, leaving an open question into how this knowledge transfers to macroscopic effects on the industrial process. In this work, wear in press hardening is studied by comparing the results obtained in laboratory conditions with a pilot-scale line, and finally, with wear mechanisms observed on industrial tools. The aim of this study is to consolidate the current knowledge about the micro-mechanisms involved, and to understand to what extent the existing tests reproduce the actual mechanisms observed in the press floor. The results show how material transfer mainly happens as an accumulation of dust compacted into initial defects on the tool surface. Moreover, this mechanism is effectively reproduced in laboratory tribosimulators and pilot environments, showing a similar morphology to wear on industrial tools. The work sheds light on the underlying causes of wear, and its potential mitigation strategies. Full article

This study investigates accelerated physical–chemical processes in a complex adaptive surface-engineered system represented by a nano-multilayer TiAlCrSiYN/TiAlCrN PVD coating under the extreme tribological conditions of ultra-high-performance dry machining of hardened H 13 tool steel. These processes are similar to the different catalyzing phenomena. Experimental results of tool life vs. wear rate, SEM/TEM data of the worn surfaces, XPS and EDS data of tribo-films formed on the friction surfaces, and chip surface morphology are presented in this study. The corresponding relationships between self-organization, self-organized criticality, and various catalyzing phenomena were evaluated on the basis of the accrued data. A method of enhancing these processes through the variation of machining conditions is also outlined, which resulted in the improvement of coated tool life by 35%. Full article

The gas–liquid miscible backflow pumping seal (G-LMBPHS) is a non-contact mechanical seal that is suitable for high-speed bearing chambers. However, the tribological properties and wear mechanisms of the frictional pair of G-LMBPHS in an oil–air environment have not yet been comprehensively studied. In this study, the tribological properties of six frictional pairs, consisting of three hard materials (18Cr2Ni4WA, Al₂O₃ coating, and Cr₂O₃ coating) and two soft materials (metal-impregnated graphite [Metal-IG] and resin-impregnated graphite [Resin-IG]), were analyzed using a disc-on-disc tribometer. An oil–air environment was created using a minimal quantity lubrication (MQL) system and a closed chamber. The results show that the COF of the four frictional pairs consisting of two coatings and two graphites decreases gradually with increasing rotational speed, and the frictional pairs composed of Al₂O₃ coating and Resin-IG and Cr₂O₃ coating and Resin-IG have the lowest COF between 0.022 and 0.03. Therefore, the frictional pairs of G-LMBPHS are in a mixed lubrication condition. The lubricant in the oil–air environment is adsorbed and stored in pits on the surface of graphite and coatings, enhancing the hydrodynamic effect of the spiral grooves and reducing the COF by up to 45%. Metal-IG has better wear resistance than Resin-IG, and the frictional pair consisting of Cr₂O₃ coating and Metal-IG has the lightest wear. This study provides an important basis for the selection of G-LMBPHS frictional pairs in oil–air environments. Full article

Traditional methods for predicting thermal error ignore the correlation between physical world data and virtual world data, leading to the low prediction accuracy of thermal errors and affecting the normal processing of the CNC machine tool (CNCMT) spindle. To solve the above problem, we propose a thermal error prediction approach based on digital twins and long short-term memory (DT-LSTM). DT-LSTM combines the high simulation capabilities of DT and the strong data processing capabilities of LSTM. Firstly, we develop a DT system for the thermal characteristics analysis of a spindle. When the DT system is implemented, we can obtain the theoretical value of thermal error. Then, the experimental data is used to train LSTM. The output of LSTM is the actual value of thermal error. Finally, the particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm fuses the theoretical values of DT with the actual values of LSTM. The case study demonstrates that DT-LSTM has a higher accuracy than the single method by nearly 11%, which improves the prediction performance and robustness of thermal error. Full article

Reducing friction losses is one of the most common ways to improve fluid film bearings, whose adjustable design provides additional opportunities to improve their dynamic and tribological properties. Previous studies have shown the possibility of reducing viscous friction in actively lubricated bearings by adjusting the rotor position. This work provides a theoretical justification for the mechanism of this effect for the cases of purely laminar lubricant flows in journal bearings. The operating modes connected with the transition to turbulent phenomena and the occurrence of Taylor vortices are beyond the scope of this paper. Conditions that ensure the minimization of friction losses in hydrodynamic and hybrid bearings with hydrostatic parts are determined based on the equations describing viscous friction in a fluid film. In non-adjustable plain hydrodynamic bearings, the minimum of friction is achieved with the centered shaft position that is actually unstable due to the resulting forces configuration. In actively lubricated hybrid bearings, a further reduction in viscous friction is possible by combining film thickness and pressure distributions. Recombining them, along with adjustment of the shaft position, allows the optimization of the distribution of shear stresses in the fluid film. As a result, the shear stresses caused by the rotation of the shaft can be partially compensated by the stresses caused by the pressure gradient, reducing the torque-resisting rotation. In addition, additional benefits can be obtained in the minimum friction state by the reduced lubricant flow and power losses to its pumping. A series of numerical calculations for elliptical, 3-, and 4-lobe bearings show that non-circular bores provide additional variability in film thickness distribution and a premise for optimizing the bearing tribological parameters. Four-lobe bearing demonstrated the best ability for reducing viscous friction among the considered designs. The results obtained can be used as a basis for further optimization of the geometry of fluid film bearings of both active and passive designs by reducing power losses due to viscous friction. Full article

The nonconstant concrete flow due to the alternating pumping of the twin cylinder of the hydraulic pump will cause vibration of concrete pump trucks. Furthermore, the discontinuous pumping of concrete caused by inadequate suction and air doping will exacerbate the vibration. In order to study the effect of nonconstant and discontinuous pumping of concrete on the dynamic response and vibrational stability of the whole vehicle, multi-fluid pumping models with concrete-lubrication gas for straight and elbow pipes are established, respectively, and the boundary conditions of periodic pumping speed are taken into account to compare the rheological characteristics of concrete and the exciting force on the pipe wall under nonconstant pumping, discontinuous pumping and nonconstant discontinuous pumping conditions. Results show that the pipe pressure and the exciting force vary periodically with the pumping speed under nonconstant pumping conditions, and the peak-to-peak value of the pipe pressure and excitation for discontinuous pumping depend on the volume fraction and distribution state of the gas in the pipe. Full article