Thursday, June 1, 2017

Tribology: Wearing of Surfaces

Tribology is the science and engineering of interacting surfaces in relative motion. It includes the study and application of the principles of friction, lubrication and wear. Tribology is a branch of mechanical engineering and materials science.

Fundamentals

The tribological interactions of a solid surface's exposed face with interfacing materials and environment may result in loss of material from the surface. The process leading to loss of material is known as "wear". Major types of wear include abrasion, friction (adhesion and cohesion), erosion, and corrosion. Wear can be minimized by modifying the surface properties of solids by one or more "surface engineering" processes (also called surface finishing) or by use of lubricants (for frictional or adhesive wear).

Estimated direct and consequential annual loss to industries in the USA due to wear is approximately 1-2% of GDP. (Heinz, 1987). Engineered surfaces extend the working life of both original and recycled and resurfaced equipment, thus saving large sums of money and leading to conservation of material, energy and the environment. Methodologies to minimize wear include systematic approaches to diagnose the wear and to prescribe appropriate solutions. Important methods include:

  • Point like contact theory was established by Heinrich Hertz in 1880s.
  • Fluid lubrication dynamics was established by Arnold Johannes Sommerfeld in 1900s.
  • Terotechnology, where multidisciplinary engineering and management techniques are used to protect equipment and machinery from degradation (Peter Jost, 1972)
  • Horst Czichos's systems approach, where appropriate material is selected by checking properties against tribological requirements under operating environment (H. Czichos,1978)
  • Asset Management by Material Prognosis - a concept similar to terotechnology which has been introduced by the US Military (DARPA) for upkeep of equipment in good health and start-ready condition for 24 hours. Good health monitoring systems combined with appropriate remedies at maintenance and repair stages have led to improved performance, reliability and extended life cycle of the assets, such as advanced military hardware and civil aircraft.

In recent years, micro- and nanotribology have been gaining ground. Frictional interactions in microscopically small components are becoming increasingly important for the development of new products in electronics, life sciences, chemistry, sensors and by extension for all modern technology.

Applications

The study of tribology is commonly applied in bearing design but extends into almost all other aspects of modern technology, even to such unlikely areas as hair conditioners and cosmetics such as lipstick, powders and lip gloss.

Any product where one material slides or rubs over another is affected by complex tribological interactions, whether lubricated like hip implants and other artificial prostheses, or unlubricated as in high temperature sliding wear in which conventional lubricants cannot be used but in which the formation of compacted oxide layer glazes have been observed to protect against wear.

Tribology plays an important role in manufacturing. In metal-forming operations, friction increases tool wear and the power required to work a piece. This results in increased costs due to more frequent tool replacement, loss of tolerance as tool dimensions shift, and greater forces required to shape a piece. The use of lubricants which minimize direct surface contact reduces tool wear and power requirements.

New Areas of Tribology

Since the 1990s, new areas of tribology have emerged, including the nanotribology, biotribology, and green tribology. These interdisciplinary areas study the friction, wear and lubrication at the nanoscale (including the Atomic force microscopy and micro/nanoelectromechanical systems, MEMS/NEMS), in biomedical applications (e.g., human joint prosthetics, dental materials), and ecological aspects of friction, lubrication and wear (tribology of clean energy sources, green lubricants, biomimetic tribology).

Recently, intensive studies of superlubricity (phenomenon of vanishing friction) have sparked due to high demand in energy savings. Development of new materials, such as graphene, initiated development of fundamentally new approaches in the lubrication field. Moreover, the industrial process such as heat treatment also change the wear rate.


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Afterword by the Blog Author

Tribology is also involved in the development of lubricant-free ceramic engines.  See:



and ceramic coated piston rings at:

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