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Lubricants
Special Issues
Advances in Dry and Lubricated Electrical Contacts
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Advances in Dry and Lubricated Electrical Contacts

A special issue of Lubricants (ISSN 2075-4442).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 25 July 2025 | Viewed by 2513

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Haibo Zhang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Mechanical Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, China
Interests: contact mechanics; multi-physical contact; electrical contacts
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Haichao Liu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
State Key Laboratory of Solid Lubrication, Lanzhou Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China
Interests: elastohydrodynamic lubrication; experimental techniques in lubrication
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Yiming Han

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
State Key Laboratory of Solid Lubrication, Lanzhou Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China
Interests: grease; fretting wear; development of tribological devices

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

An electrical contact is classically defined as the interface across which an electrical current flows between two conductors. Electrical contacts can be stationary or dynamic, dry or lubricated. The physical phenomena and processes occurring at the contact interface have not yet been fully understood. To determine the contact resistance, signal transmission efficiency, and degradation mechanisms of electrical contacts, multiphysics of mechanical, electrical, thermal, and flow fields might be needed.

Additionally, the trend towards electrification presents new challenges for the design and lubrication of machine elements, including bearings and gears in electric vehicles, high-speed trains, and wind turbines. The subjected tribological contacts could also be regarded as oil or grease-lubricated electrical contacts. In such contacts, electrical discharge can cause surface damage. A physical understanding of the electrical damage processes is necessary in order to take measures to prevent the damages, either through insolation or through conductive lubricants. Quantifying and categorising different forms of electrical damage is also wanted.

The purpose of this Special Issue is to share advances in understanding specific phenomena and novel aspects in the field of dry and lubricated electrical contacts. Experimental and theoretical studies are both highly welcome.

Dr. Haibo Zhang
Dr. Haichao Liu
Dr. Yiming Han
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Lubricants is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • electrical contact modelling
  • static/sliding electric contacts
  • applied voltage on lubricated contacts
  • electrical discharge to mechanical elements
  • electrical surface damage
  • electrical arc
  • tribotronics
  • advanced lubricants for electrical contacts
  • capacitance/resistance calculation
  • condition monitoring

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 17800 KiB  
Article
Triboelectric Performance of Ionic Liquid, Synthetic, and Vegetable Oil-Based Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) Greases
by Nur Aisya Affrina Mohamed Ariffin, Chiew Tin Lee, Arunkumar Thirugnanasambandam, King Jye Wong and William Woei Fong Chong
Lubricants 2024, 12(8), 272; https://doi.org/10.3390/lubricants12080272 - 30 Jul 2024
Viewed by 985
Abstract
Within electrical contacts, poor electrical conductivity of lubricants can lead to triboelectric charging, causing electrostatic currents and thermal effects, which accelerate lubrication failure. This study aimed to address these challenges by producing and testing three greases with different base oils: ionic liquid ([Oley][Oleic]), [...] Read more.
Within electrical contacts, poor electrical conductivity of lubricants can lead to triboelectric charging, causing electrostatic currents and thermal effects, which accelerate lubrication failure. This study aimed to address these challenges by producing and testing three greases with different base oils: ionic liquid ([Oley][Oleic]), synthetic oil (PAO4), and vegetable oil-based synthetic ester (trimethylolpropane oleate). Each grease was prepared with polytetrafluoroethylene powder as the thickener. The greases were tested using a custom-made tribometer, integrated with a grounded electrical current system, with friction tests conducted with up to a 2 A electrical current flow at a constant voltage supply of 4.5 V. Under triboelectric friction testing, [Oley][Oleic] grease outperformed a commercial perfluoropolyether grease by 27.7% in friction and 16.3% in wear. This grease also showed better performance than formulated lithium grease with extreme pressure additives. The study demonstrates that greases with low interfacial resistance can retain their lubrication capacity under triboelectric conditions. These results indicate that [Oley][Oleic] grease, with its ionic liquid base oil, offers a promising solution for applications involving electrical contacts. This study highlights the potential of using advanced base oils and thickeners to enhance the performance and sustainability of lubricants in demanding environments. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Dry and Lubricated Electrical Contacts)
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12 pages, 10352 KiB  
Article
Influence of Electrical Stimulation on the Friction Performance of LiPF6-Based Ionic Liquids
by Xiangyu Ge, Xiaodong Wu, Qiuyu Shi, Yanfei Liu and He Liang
Lubricants 2024, 12(5), 167; https://doi.org/10.3390/lubricants12050167 - 9 May 2024
Viewed by 964
Abstract
This work studied the influence of the voltage parameters on the friction and superlubricity performances of LiPF6-based ionic liquids (ILs). The results show that the voltage direction and magnitude greatly affected the friction performances of ILs and that macroscale superlubricity can [...] Read more.
This work studied the influence of the voltage parameters on the friction and superlubricity performances of LiPF6-based ionic liquids (ILs). The results show that the voltage direction and magnitude greatly affected the friction performances of ILs and that macroscale superlubricity can be achieved with a stimulation of −0.1 V. The surface analysis and experiment results indicate that the voltage magnitude influences the coefficient of friction (COF) by determining the types of substances in the tribochemical film formed on the ball, while the voltage direction influences the COF by affecting the adsorption behavior of Li(PEG)+ ions on the ball. At −0.1 V, the cation group Li(PEG)+ adsorption film and FeOOH-containing tribochemical film contribute to friction reduction. The formation of FexOy within the tribochemical film results in an increase in friction at −0.8 V. The limited adsorption of Li(PEG)+ ions and the formation of FexOy contribute to the elevated COF at +0.1 V. This work proves that the friction performances of LiPF6-based ILs could be affected by voltage parameters. A lubrication model was proposed hoping to provide a basic understanding of the lubrication mechanisms of ILs in the electric environment. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Dry and Lubricated Electrical Contacts)
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