Abstract
Using magnesium silicate hydroxide as additive of lubricating oils for reducing friction in engineering equipment/machinery has been researched intensively. However, some mechanism relating to the growth of the self-repairing layers on the won surfaces is still not clearly explained. At the same time, using magnesium silicate hydroxide (MSH) in the form of nanorods showed great promise in reducing friction and wear. In this study, surface-modified MSH in the form of nanorods was used as additive of polyolester oil (POE) which was then used for the lubrication of compressor vanes. The sample parts were studied on the morphology and the microstructure of the self-repairing layer in a great depth. The results showed that self-repairing layers with different thicknesses were generated on the worn surfaces when the POE with 1 wt.% nanorods-MSH was used. It was found that the self-repairing layers consist of organic–inorganic composite membranes, and with increase of working time of the compressor vanes, the self-repairing layers become denser and thicker, while their micro-structural form remains to be similar. The situ-repairing capability of the metal surfaces (roller-vane pair of the compressor) enforced by the MSH nanorods is very significant, indicating high potential for industrial applications where boundary and mixed lubrications are needed.
Highlights
Ultrafine serpentine powders have gained increasing interest as reactive media stimulating self-repairing of Fe-based metal surfaces subjected to friction [1,2,3,4,5]
The results provide a basis for theoretical modelling and for promoting more extensive industrial utilization of magnesium silicate hydroxide (MSH) nanorods containing oils used for combating wear in machinery and general engineering devices/equipment
It may be deduced that the use of MSH nanorods as an additive of the lubricating oil could compensate for the wear, and at the same time, reducingfriction and reducing wear are two competing processes, until self-repairing layers cover sufficient area of the wear while their roughness is reduced due to new wear, which could be achieved by sufficient length of working time of a friction pair
Summary
Ultrafine serpentine powders have gained increasing interest as reactive media stimulating self-repairing of Fe-based metal surfaces subjected to friction [1,2,3,4,5]. Performance of the nanorods of MSH with good crystallinity that can be produced by hydration has been studied in recent year, in surface rubbing situations. It was focused mainly on friction reduction behavior. Since the mass-scale synthesis of MSH nanorods has been realized and the manufacturing cost has been lowered, using MSH nanorods as a self-repairing additive to POE oil has become reality [21,22,23,24,25] The results provide a basis for theoretical modelling and for promoting more extensive industrial utilization of MSH nanorods containing oils used for combating wear in machinery and general engineering devices/equipment
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