Abstract
The boundary lubricating film in a low velocity metalworking process has been studied using atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning laser microscopy (SLM). It is postulated that the workpiece surface irregularities reflect the lubricant film thickness even in boundary lubrication. A new sheet compression test was developed. This test uses a block gauge as a flattening tool and is conducted under a plane strain with microscopic sliding. From the AFM analysis, it is proposed that the boundary lubrication regime is best understood as a mixture of non-uniform lubrication and simultaneous surface damage at nanometer scale. From roughness measurements excluding the nanometer-scale scratches, the surface roughness of the deformed sheets (0.4 nm Ra and about 2.5 nm Ry) within the boundary contact regime is comparable to several molecular widths. The thickness of boundary lubricating film is increased by the presence of neighboring micropools. It is suggested that owing to the hydrostatic lubrication mechanism, the thickness of the boundary lubricating film is increased with decreasing viscosity of lubricant and by the change in the lubrication regime towards mixed lubrication, if the workpiece has a considerable initial surface roughness.
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