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Solid Lubrication Processes

  • Chapter
Fundamentals of Friction: Macroscopic and Microscopic Processes

Part of the book series: NATO ASI Series ((NSSE,volume 220))

Abstract

Solid lubricant behavior and lubrication by thin solid films are reviewed. Crystalline as well as non-crystalline solids are shown to give low friction, as are surface films as thin as a monolayer. The Bowden-Tabor adhesion model of friction is shown to be particularly useful for measuring the shear strength of thin solid films under elastic Hertzian contact conditions. However, the meaning of the “shear strength” as a materials property is called into question because of the effects of atmosphere on the friction coefficient. Mechanisms of “shear” are then examined from a microscopic point of view. Microscopic studies of the rheological behavior of solid lubricants suggest that interfacial films play an important role in accommodating sliding motion. Several recent investigations of interfacial films generated during dry sliding against coatings and surface treatments are presented. Surface analytical studies of interfacial films from diamond-like carbon and MoS2 coatings and Ti+-implanted steel provide evidence that tribochemical reactions tie place between counterfaces, surfaces and the atmosphere. A model that accounts for the tribochemical films generated during sliding contact is described, and a thermochemical basis for the reactions governing film formation is presented. These studies suggest that the lubricity of coatings is determined by the interfacial films generated during sliding, not by the bulk properties of the coatings themselves.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Code 6170 U. S. Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, DC, 20375, USA

    I. L. Singer

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  1. I. L. Singer
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Tribology Section — Code 6170, U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, DC, USA

    I. L. Singer

  2. School of Physics and Materials, University of Lancaster, Lancaster, UK

    H. M. Pollock

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Singer, I.L. (1992). Solid Lubrication Processes. In: Singer, I.L., Pollock, H.M. (eds) Fundamentals of Friction: Macroscopic and Microscopic Processes. NATO ASI Series, vol 220. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-2811-7_13

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-2811-7_13

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-94-010-5249-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-011-2811-7

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