Fabrication and Tribological Performance of Self-Lubricating Porous Materials and Composites: A Review

Porous materials have recently attracted significant attention in the aerospace and biomedical fields for addressing issues related to friction and wear. Porous materials are beneficial in applications where continuous lubrication is not feasible or for components that operate under extreme conditions, such as high speeds, elevated temperatures, and heavy loads. The pores can serve as reservoirs for liquid lubricants, which are gradually released during the operation of the components. The tribological properties of these materials depend on their porosity, the lubricants used, and any additional additives incorporated into the porous materials. This review article provides insight into common fabrication techniques for porous materials and examines their tribological performance for all three classes of materials-polymers, metals, and ceramics. Additionally, it discusses design criteria for porous self-lubricating materials by highlighting the critical properties of both the substrate and lubricants.

Tribological Behavior of Sulfonated Polyether Ether Ketone with Three Different Chemical Structures under Water Lubrication

With the development of the shipbuilding industry, it is necessary to improve tribological properties of polyether ether ketone (PEEK) as a water-lubricated bearing material. In this study, the sulfonated PEEK (SPEEK) with three distinct chemical structures was synthesized through direct sulfonated polymerization, and high fault tolerance and a controllable sulfonation degree ensured the batch stability. The tribological and mechanical properties of SPEEK with varying side groups (methyl and tert-butyl) and rigid segments (biphenyl) were compared after sintering in a vacuum furnace. Compared to the as-made PEEK, as the highly electronegative sulfonic acid group enhanced the hydration lubrication, the friction coefficient and wear rate of SPEEK were significantly reduced by 30% and 50% at least without affecting the mechanical properties. And lower steric hindrance and entanglement between molecular chains were proposed to be partially responsible for the lowest friction behavior of SPEEK with methyl side groups, making it a promising and competitive option for water-lubricated bearings.

Dry Friction and Wear Behavior of Laser-Sintered Graphite/Carbon Fiber/Polyamide 12 Composite

Carbon fiber-reinforced polymers (CFRPs) are being used extensively in modern industries that require a high strength-to-weight ratio, such as aerospace, automotive, motorsport, and sports equipment. However, although reinforcement with carbon fibers improves the mechanical properties of polymers, this comes at the expense of abrasive wear resistance. Therefore, to efficiently utilize CFRPs in dry sliding contacts, solid lubricant is used as a filler. Further, to facilitate the fabrication of objects with complex geometries, selective laser sintering (SLS) can be employed. Accordingly, in the present work, graphite-filled carbon fiber-reinforced polyamide 12 (CFR-PA12) specimens were prepared using the SLS process to explore the dry sliding friction and wear characteristics of the composite. The test specimens were aligned along four different orientations in the build chamber of the SLS machine to determine the orientation-dependent tribological properties. The experiments were conducted using a pin-on-disc tribometer to measure the coefficient of friction (COF), interface temperature, friction-induced noise, and specific wear rate. In addition, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) of tribo-surfaces was conducted to specify the dominant wear pattern. The results indicated that the steady-state COF, contact temperature, and wear pattern of graphite-filled CFR-PA12 are orientation-independent and that the contact temperature is likely to approach an asymptote far below the glass transition temperature of amorphous PA12 zones, thus eliminating the possibility of matrix softening. Additionally, the results showed that the Z-oriented specimen exhibits the lowest level of friction-induced noise along with the highest wear resistance. Moreover, SEM of tribo-surfaces determined that abrasive wear is the dominant wear pattern.

Effect of Recycled Polyvinyl Butyral (rPVB) Addition on the Tribological Performance of Glass-Fiber Reinforced Polyamide (PAGF) during Reciprocating Sliding Wear Conditions

Plastic recycling in the automotive industry is a priority. In this study, the effect of adding recycled polyvinyl butyral (rPVB) from automotive windshields on the coefficient of friction (CoF) and specific wear rate (k) of a glass-fiber reinforced polyamide (PAGF) is investigated. It was found that, at 15 and 20 wt.% of rPVB, it acts as a solid lubricant, reducing CoF and k up to 27% and 70%, respectively. Microscopical analysis of the wear tracks showed that rPVB spreads over the worn tracks, forming a lubricant layer, which protects the fibers from damage. However, at lower rPVB content, fiber damage cannot be prevented as the protective lubricant layer is not formed.

Tribological Properties of Glass Bead-Filled Polyamide 12 Composite Manufactured by Selective Laser Sintering

To enhance the properties of polyamide 12 (PA12/Nylon 12) manufactured by the selective laser sintering (SLS) process, micron-sized glass beads are used as a filler, and the resulting composite is known as glass bead-filled PA12 (PA 3200 GF). Despite PA 3200 GF basically being a tribological-grade powder, very little has been reported on the tribological properties of laser-sintered objects based on this powder. As the properties of SLS objects are orientation-dependent, this study is devoted to investigating the friction and wear characteristics of the PA 3200 GF composite sliding against the steel disc in the dry-sliding mode. The test specimens were aligned in the SLS build chamber along five different orientations (X-axis, Y-axis, Z-axis, XY-plane, and YZ-plane). Additionally, the interface temperature and the friction-induced noise were measured. The pin-shaped specimens were examined using a pin-on-disc tribo-tester for 45 min to investigate the steady-state tribological characteristics of the composite material. The results revealed that the orientation of build layers relative to the sliding plane was a ruling parameter that determined the dominant wear pattern and the wear rate. Accordingly, where build layers were parallel or inclined to the sliding plane, abrasive wear predominated, and wear rate became 48% higher than that of specimens with perpendicular build layers, for which adhesive wear predominated. Interestingly, a noticeable synchronous variation of adhesion and friction-induced noise was observed. Taken together, the results from this study can efficiently serve the goals of fabricating SLS-functional parts with customized tribological properties.

Highly Dispersed Ag2S Nanoparticles: In Situ Synthesis, Size Control, and Modification to Mechanical and Tribological Properties towards Nanocomposite Coatings

A facile in situ synthesis approach and a size control strategy were established to obtain Ag₂S nanoparticles in polyimide (PI) composite coatings. Such Ag₂S nanoparticles in the composite coatings were characterized, and the effects of the as-obtained Ag₂S nanoparticles of different sizes on the mechanical and tribological properties of the nanocomposite coatings were investigated. Results indicate that the in situ synthesized Ag₂S nanoparticles exhibited good dispersibility and bimodal and multimodal size distribution in the nanocomposite coatings. The size of the Ag₂S nanoparticles can be effectively controlled by adjusting the substituent alkyl chain length of single-source precursor, and these Ag₂S nanoparticles exhibited superior improvement to mechanical and tribological properties of the nanocomposite coatings. More importantly, the Ag₂S nanoparticles with the proper grain size and bimodal size distribution provided the optimal mechanical and tribological properties for the nanocomposite coatings, and the excellent tribological properties were attributed to their outstanding mechanical properties and strong ability to form a homogenous and stable protective tribofilm.