Preparation of self-lubricating coating by mechanical milling

Abstract

PurposeThis paper aims to fabricate nickel-aluminum (Ni-Al)-based self-lubricating composite coating on aluminum (Al) alloy by mechanical milling (MM).Design/methodology/approachA new carrier transport (CT) way was designed to solve the slippage fracture of the coating due to silver (Ag) accumulation (Ag powders were cold welded with nickel [Ni] powders by MM in advance to avoid accumulation, then Al powder and samples were added to fabricate the coating).FindingsMicrostructure analysis reveals that the solid lubricant Ag exists as particles in the composite coating via CT technique, which is different from the typical morphology (strip-type) of Ag tailored by normal methods. The unique granular form of Ag can effectively avoid the gliding fracture of the coating, thus forming an efficacious lubrication film on the worn surface, which is responsible for the excellent tribological properties of the coating.Practical implicationsMost of the papers reported that coatings synthesized by MM mainly concentrated on hard coatings, but the fabrication of self-lubricating coatings have not yet reported.Originality/valueThe uniform dispersion of solid lubricant Ag can effectively solves a fatal problem that the fracture failure of coating triggered by the Ag accumulation. This experiment provides a novel method for preparation of self-lubricating coating by MM.Peer reviewThe peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/ILT-01-2020-0030