New Emerging Self-lubricating Metal Matrix Composites for Tribological Applications

Abstract

Self-lubricating metal matrix composites (SLMMCs) are an important category of engineering materials that are increasingly replacing a number of conventional materials in the automotive, aerospace, and marine industries due to superior tribological properties. Implementing self-lubricating composites into different operating systems is a solution to reduce the use of external toxic petroleum-based lubricants at sliding contacts in a way to help the environment and to reduce energy dissipation in industrial components for strategies toward energy efficiency and sustainability. In SLMMCs, solid lubricant materials including carbonous materials, molybdenum disulfide (MoS2), and hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) are embedded into the metal matrices as reinforcements to manufacture a novel material with an attractive self-lubricating properties. Due to their lubricious nature, these solid lubricant materials have attracted researchers to synthesize lightweight self-lubricating metal matrix composites with superior tribological properties. This chapter focuses on the recent development in tribological behavior of self-lubricating metal matrix (aluminum, copper, magnesium, and nickel) composites. It is important to note that the tribological parameters, such as normal load, sliding speed, and temperature vary on a wide range and also the counterface materials differ in different experimental tests, comparing the results of tribological behavior of different self-lubricating composites is extremely difficult. In this chapter, attempts have been made to summarize the tribological performance of various SLMMCs as a function of several tribological parameters. These parameters include material parameters (size, shape, volume fraction, and type of the reinforcements), mechanical parameters (normal load and sliding speed), and physical parameters (temperature and environment). The mechanisms involved for the improved mechanical and tribological performances are discussed.