Abstract
The objective of the study is to actively control friction between engineering ceramics in underwater applications. By designing a proper electrode system and applying an external electric field, the active control of friction between Al2O3 plate and ZrO2 ball in sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) aqueous solutions has been realized, which is different from the previous studies of potential-controlled boundary lubrication where at least one part of tribo-pairs is a conductor. Reversible change of friction coefficient has been observed in the range from 0.12 to 0.35. An indirect electric field-assisted adsorption/desorption model has been proposed to explain the observed phenomena. The addition of inorganic salts containing counterions to the SDS solution or increasing the concentration of SDS can shorten the response time of friction to the variation of the applied electric field by facilitating the formation of SDS micelles. This opens a new way to realize the active control of friction for insulative tribo-pairs without corrosion.
Highlights
Since 1980’s, engineering ceramics have been increasingly employed for structures and components of machine systems because of their excellent properties such as high corrosion resistance, high wear resistance, high melting point and low density.[1]
Why is the friction between ceramics responsible to the changes in the applied voltage or surface potential on the steel holder? It should be noted that the steel holder is placed in a position so close to the contact area, that the change in the distribution of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) molecules or ions in the solution, which depends on the electric field between the working electrode and the counter electrode, indirectly affects the adsorption of lubricious SDS anions on the contact surface, and the boundary lubrication state
ZrO2 ball and the Al2O3 plate in water-based lubrication has been realized by applying an external electric field
Summary
Since 1980’s, engineering ceramics have been increasingly employed for structures and components of machine systems because of their excellent properties such as high corrosion resistance, high wear resistance, high melting point and low density.[1]. They concluded that ceramics-on-metal friction pairs would be better design for hip resurfacing arthroplasty, avoiding the problem of stem fracture risk of femoral component Yamamoto and his co-workers[7] focused on rolling life of ceramic bearings in water and found that all ceramic (Si3N4, ZrO2, SiC) bearings possess 15-70 times longer rolling fatigue life than all AISI440C steel bearings, and could be especially applicable to corrosive environment in various cleaning equipment for manufacturing semiconductors and liquid crystal display panels, food processing machinery, chemical plants, etching equipment and so on. Effects of an electric field on tribological behavior of materials have been mostly studied in various aqueous and nonaqueous solutions with or without additives of various kinds of surfactants [18], ionic liquids[19] and nanoparticles[20, 21] This emerging technology is usually called as potential controlled boundary or potential controlled friction. Figure. Schematic diagram of the testing module combining an electrochemical workstation (or a DC power supply) and a tribometer
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