Polished Disks Research Articles

In vitro staining effects of stannous fluoride and sodium fluoride on ceramic material

Long-term fluoride application on the teeth of patients receiving radiation therapy for head and neck tumors results in excessive staining and roughening of ceramic restorations. The purpose of this in vitro study was to compare the staining effects of 2 fluoride treatments on ceramic disks by simulating 1 year of clinical exposure at 10 minutes per day. In addition, 2 different surface preparations were tested. Eighty ceramic disks (IPS Empress), 20 x 2 mm, were fabricated. Half of the disks were glazed, and the remaining disks were polished. All disks were brushed for 3 minutes with a soft-bristle power toothbrush and mild dentifrice (baseline) and were immersed in 1 of the 2 fluoride products (0.4% SnF(2), Gel-Kam Gel, or 1.1% NaF, Prevident 5000) for 10 days (n=20). Means and standard deviations of color change (Delta E), surface roughness (Ra, um), and surface gloss (GU) of the ceramic material were measured with a reflection spectrophotometer, a profilometer, and a gloss meter, respectively, at baseline and after fluoride treatment. Two- and 3-way ANOVA (alpha=.05), with surface preparation (polished vs. glazed) and fluoride treatment (0.4% SnF(2) or 1.1% NaF) as independent variables and condition (baseline vs. after fluoride treatment) as a repeated measure, was used to analyze the data. Fisher's PLSD intervals (alpha=.05) were calculated for comparisons among the means. The polished specimens had significantly higher Delta E values, significantly higher surface gloss values, and significantly lower surface roughness values than the glazed specimens before fluoride treatment (P<.001). After both fluoride treatments, ceramic disks exhibited significantly higher surface roughness values when polished and significantly lower surface gloss values when glazed or polished (P<.001). The glazed specimens presented significantly higher surface roughness (P<.001) and lower surface gloss values (P<.001) when treated with 0.4% SnF(2) as compared to NaF. For the polished specimens, there was no significant difference in surface roughness and surface gloss values between the 2 fluoride treatments. Use of 0.4% SnF(2) and 1.1% NaF gels, in vitro, caused significant color change in the polished IPS Empress ceramic disks. Polishing of the ceramic surface before immersion in either fluoride agent caused the ceramic tested to be more resistant to etching by the 2 solutions tested. The NaF caused less deterioration of the porcelain surface and was less stain inducing than SnF(2).

An imaging plate technique for evaluating energy attenuation in evaporated samples with different surface conditions

In this paper, a new technique was proposed using an imaging plate (IP) as a useful tool for visually and quantitatively evaluating the attenuation of radiation energy on radiation sources. Samples were prepared by evaporating (241)Am solution on stainless steel disks with well-polished and non-polished surfaces. The samples were measured with an IP and then the obtained images were analysed based on two-dimensional photostimulated luminescence data. The images for the polished disks generally showed lower uniformity in the distribution than those for the non-polished disks. However, the detailed analysis of the images revealed a poor correlation between the source distribution and the attenuation of radiation energy for the disk samples, indicating that the non-uniformity of distribution was not a primary cause of the attenuation of radiation energy for the samples. The demonstration in this study showed a potential usefulness of the IP-based technique for evaluating self-absorption mechanisms, although the technique remains to be critically tested particularly using disk samples made by different preparation methods.

Surface alterations of polished and sandblasted and acid-etched titanium implants after Er:YAG, carbon dioxide, and diode laser irradiation.

Laser treatment has become a popular method for resolving peri-implantitis, but the full range of its effects on implant surfaces is unknown. The purpose of the present investigation was to analyze the influence of different clinically applicable erbium:yttrium-aluminum-garnet (Er:YAG), carbon dioxide (CO2), and diode laser parameters on titanium surfaces that were either polished or sandblasted, large-grit, acid-etched (SLA). Six polished and six SLA titanium disks were irradiated at nine different power settings (n = 54 polished, 54 SLA) with Er:YAG, CO2, or diode lasers. The CO2 and diode lasers were used in continuous wave mode, and the Er:YAG laser was used in a pulsed manner. The surface of each disk was analyzed by scanning electron microscopy and confocal white light microscopy. Each disk was irradiated on six circular areas of 5 mm in diameter with the same specific laser setting for 10 seconds. Within the chosen parameters, the CO2 and diode laser did not cause any visible surface alterations on either the polished or SLA disks. In contrast, both polished and SLA disks showed surface alterations when irradiated with the pulsed Er:YAG laser. The SLA surfaces showed alteration after 10 seconds of irradiation with Er:YAG laser at 300 mJ/10 Hz. The surfaces of the polished disks did not show alteration with the Er:YAG laser until they were irradiated at the higher energy of 500 mJ/10 Hz for 10 seconds. The results of confocal white light microscopy were in agreement with scanning electron micrographs. In contrast to continuous-wave diode and CO2 laser irradiation, pulsed Er:YAG laser irradiation caused distinct alterations with power settings beyond 300 mJ/10 Hz on the SLA surface and 500 mJ/10 Hz on the polished surface. Thus, it is only safe to use the Er:YAG laser for implant surface irradiation with settings no higher than 300 or 500 mJ/10 Hz.

Voltammetrically Controlled Electron Transfer Reactions from Alkanethiol Modified Gold Electrode Surfaces to Low Molecular Weight Molecules Deposited within Lipid (Lecithin) Bilayers

A procedure was developed for initiating electron transfer from a gold electrode to a low molecular weight electron acceptor present inside supported lipid (lecithin) bilayers, followed by further electron transfer to an electron acceptor present in an aqueous solution. The electron acceptors present in the lecithin bilayers and aqueous phase were 7,7,8,8-tetracyanoquinodimethane (TCNQ) and [Fe(III)(CN)(6)](3-), respectively. A polished planar gold disk electrode was first coated via self-assembly procedures with an alkanethiol monolayer. A phospholipid layer consisting of multiple bilayers of lecithin containing TCNQ was subsequently deposited onto the alkanethiol monolayer. The Au/alkanethiol/lecithin-TCNQ electrode was placed in an aqueous solution containing various amounts of [Fe(III)(CN)(6)](3-) and [Fe(II)(CN)(6)](4-), with 0.5 M KCl as the supporting electrolyte. In the absence of TCNQ inside the alkanethiol/lecithin layers, only a small background current was observed. When TCNQ was included in the alkanethiol/lecithin layers, the voltammetry showed features typical of a catalytic process, due to the TCNQ being reduced to TCNQ(-*) within the lecithin bilayers and then undergoing oxidation back to TCNQ via interaction with [Fe(III)(CN)(6)](3-) at the lecithin-aqueous solution interface. The procedures for preparing the alkanethiol/lecithin-TCNQ coatings were optimized in order to obtain the most reproducible voltammetric response. Experiments were also performed using tetrathiafulvalene (TTF) as an electron donor in the lipid bilayer phase.

Performance analysis of an orthopaedic biomaterial 100-station wear test system

Until recently, wear studies of orthopaedic biomaterials have suffered from inadequate testing capacity and high standard deviation (SD) of results. In the present article, the previously validated 100-station hip wear simulator, the SuperCTPOD, is evaluated with regard to its capability of producing statistically significant differences in mean wear rates. SuperCTPOD wear tests were done for 38 different types of polyethylene pins against polished CoCr discs with diluted calf serum lubrication. A total of 200 pins were worn in two consecutive tests of 6 weeks, duration each. The sample size varied from four to six. The mean wear rates of the samples ranged from 0.52 to 77.1 mg per one million cycles. On the average, the SD of the wear rate was 4.2 per cent of the mean value (range 1–8.5 per cent). A difference in the mean wear rates below 5 per cent was large enough to be statistically significant ( p &lt;0.05) in 21 comparisons between two samples, the lowest statistically significant mean difference being 3.2 per cent. In conclusion, the high capacity and the low SD of the wear rate make the SuperCTPOD wear test system unparalleled in efficiency. The observations regarding the effect of crosslinking and molecular weight on polyethylene wear resistance were in agreement with studies published earlier.

In vitro kinetic study of growth and mineralization of osteoblast‐like cells (Saos‐2) on titanium surface coated with a RGD functionalized bisphosphonate

Osteoconduction and osseointegration are the critical stages for implantation success. Peptides containing RGD (Arg-Gly-Asp) adhesive sequence are known to promote cell adhesion and consequently to favor osseointegration of medical devices. In this study, RGD peptides were coupled to a bisphosphonate used as an anchor system and chemically adsorbed on polished titanium discs. Two different concentrations, 10(-10) mol/L (RGD 10(-10)) and 10(-4) mol/L (RGD 10(-4)) were compared to non coated discs (RGD 0). Adhesion, spreading, and mineralization of osteoblast-like cells (Saos-2) were assessed. Mineralization kinetic was done at 3, 6, 10, 14, and 18 days of culture; the extent of mineral deposits was quantified by image analysis. Histogram repartitions of nuclear area, characterizing cell spreading, showed a shift to higher values in cells cultured on RGD coated titanium disks. Mineralization started at day 3 in the three groups, but had a faster development in the RGD 10(-10) group from day 6 to day 18 compared to RGD 0 and RGD 10(-4). At day 18, the percentage of mineralized area was significantly higher for RGD 10(-10) compared to RGD 0 (p < 0.05). In the present study, this new method was found suitable to anchor RGD containing species on titanium: this favored adhesion and spreading of osteoblast-like cells and mineralization compared to noncoated titanium.

Study on an automatic processing technique of the circle interference fringe for fine interferometry

The fringe center method (FCM) is an important digital processing technique of fringe patterns analysis for interferometry. In this paper, an improved automatic processing technique based on FCM was presented, which correlated the processing link and the looped feature of the circle fringe pattern. It also integrated several techniques including noise removal, the fringe thinning, the fringe patching, assignment of the fringe orders and wavefront reconstruction and can be executed orderly and automatically. Based on the new the algorithms of the fringe patching and assignment of the fringe orders, the fringe feature information was extracted automatically and the interference wavefront was reconstructed by Zernike polynomial fitting method. With the automatic processing technique, the circle interference fringe of the fine polished aluminum disks surface captured by the Twyman–Green interferometer was processed, and the surface profile and the parameters of the disk were obtained automatically. The experiments show that the improved automatic processing technique was more accurate and fast in measurement than the conventional one. It was convenient to use it in in-situ industry inspection.

Studies of bone cell adhesion and proliferation on ion-implanted titanium discs

Argon ions were implanted on titanium discs to study their effect on bone cell adhesion and proliferation. Polished titanium discs were prepared and implanted with argon ions with different doses. Afterwards, the samples were sterilised using ultraviolet light, inoculated with human bone cells and incubated. Once fixed and rinsed, image analysis has been used to quantify the number of cells attached to the titanium discs. Cell proliferation tests were also conducted after a period of 120 hours. Cell adhesion was seen to be higher with ion-implanted surfaces. Scanning electron microscopy analysis has shown that the attached cells spread more on ion-implanted surfaces. The numbers of cells attached were seen to be higher on implanted surfaces; they tend to occupy wider areas with healthier cells. The results of the present investigation is indicative of the fact that ion-implanted titanium surfaces offer better cell binding affinity compared with untreated titanium surfaces. Ion-implanted surfaces appear to have a higher cell attachment by 33%. In the cell proliferation tests, the osteoblast growth in implanted samples is greater than in untreated samples at the end of the testing time of 120 hours.

Effect of matrix on the dry friction coefficient of unidirectional fiber-reinforced composite

The coefficients of dry rest (μ0) and sliding (μs) friction on a polished disk made of quenched steel have been measured for various polymer matrices and fibers and for a composite unidirectionally reinforced with poly(amidobenzimidazole) (PABI) fibers. It is established that μ0 > μs for matrices and fibers with glass transition temperatures Tg below room temperature TR, otherwise μ0 ≈ μs. This effect is explained by a sharp growth in the plasticity of polymers at Tg, which leads to an increase in the polymer-steel contact area. For a composite with Tg > TR, the dry friction coefficients obey the relation μ0 ≈ μs≈ μe/C, where μe is the coefficients of sliding friction of PABI fibers and C is their concentration. For Tg < TR (plastic matrix), the friction coefficients of the composite and matrix are close because the latter cannot hold the fiber ends during friction. As a result, they are bent and aligned along the matrix surface or embedded in the surface layer.

Detection of adenosine using surface-enhanced Raman scattering based on structure-switching signaling aptamer

In the present study, we report a novel sensitive method for the detection of adenosine using surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) sensing platform based on a structure-switching aptamer. First, Ag-clad Au colloids film on a polished gold disc is prepared as enhanced substrate and modified with thiolated capture DNA. The formation of an aptamer/DNA duplex of expanded anti-adenosine aptamer and tetramethylrhodamine-labeled DNA (denoted TMR-DNA) is then developed, in which TMR-DNA could also hybridize completely with capture DNA. The introduction of adenosine thus triggers structure switching of the aptamer from aptamer/DNA duplex to aptamer/target complex. As a result, the released TMR-DNA is captured onto the SERS substrate, resulting in an increase of SERS signal. Under optimized assay conditions, a wide linear dynamic range (2.0 × 10 −8 M to 2 × 10 −6 M) was reached with low detection limit (1.0 × 10 −8 M). Moreover, high selectivity, stability and facile regeneration are achieved. The successful test demonstrates the feasibility of the strategy for adenosine assay.

Stimulation of monocytes and macrophages: Possible influence of surface roughness

The aim of this study was to understand the mechanisms of interaction of monocytes/macrophages and foreign body giant cell (FBGC) with implant materials, with respect to the roughness and the solubility of calcium phosphate based coatings. Anderson et al. (Bone Engineering, J.E. Davies, ed., Toronto, 2000, pp. 81-93) showed that the presence of FBGC's and monocytes/macrophages influenced the strength of the implant-tissue integration and that more monocytes/macrophages rested on smooth surfaces compared to rough surfaces. We seeded human bone marrow cells on uncoated ultrasmooth polished TiAl6V4 samples as well as on coated TiAl6V4 discs of the same diameter with two different calcium phosphates coatings, monetite (DCP) and hydroxyapatite (OHAp), both with rougher surfaces. On uncoated ultrasmooth polished TiAl6V4 discs (UUTi, diameter 16 mm, thickness 2 mm) and on TiAl6V4 discs of same diameter coated with OHAP or DCPA, human bone marrow cells (HMBC) were seeded and cultivated under standard culture conditions for 90 days without addition of inducing substances like ascorbic acid, Na-beta-glycerophosphate or dexamethasone. The roughnesses of the virgin samples were assessed with atomic force microscopy and light profilometry. After 90 days of cultivation a fraction of the samples, with cells and extracellular matrix, were stained with hematoxylin eosin (HE) and examined in light microscopy. R(a) roughness values of virgin uncoated TiAl6V4 samples were 0.001 microm, of DCP coated discs 4 microm and of OHAp coated discs 3 microm. The examination of HE stained samples showed a high number of FBGC and monocytes/macrophages on the UUTi samples. On the DCP coated samples there were less FBGC and monocytes/macrophages and on the OHAp coated samples we could not find any FBGC and monocytes/macrophages. The extracellular matrix (ECM) we found on the UUTi samples was finer and thinner than on the coated samples. The ECM was vastly spread and not dense on the UUTi samples in contrast to the calcium phosphate coated samples, where the ECM was much thicker and stronger. The ultrasmooth surface of the uncoated TiAl6V4 samples, a material which is accepted to be biocompatible, evidently induced the differentiation of cells of the monocytic lineage and the formation of FBGC out of the cell populations present in the human bone marrow.

Biocorrosion investigation of two shape memory nickel based alloys: Ni‐Mn‐Ga and thin film NiTi

Thin film nitinol and single crystal Ni-Mn-Ga represent two new shape memory materials with potential to be used as percutaneously placed implant devices. However, the biocompatibility of these materials has not been adequately assessed. Immersion tests were conducted on both thin film nitinol and single crystal Ni-Mn-Ga in Hank's balanced salt solution at 37 degrees C and pH 7.4. After 12 h, large pits were found on the Ni-Mn-Ga samples while thin film nitinol displayed no signs of corrosion. Further electrochemical tests on thin film nitinol samples revealed breakdown potentials superior to a mechanically polished nitinol disc. These results suggest that passivation or electropolishing of thin film nitinol maybe unnecessary to promote corrosion resistance.

Surface chemistry of fluorine containing ionic liquids on steel substrates at elevated temperature using Mössbauer spectroscopy

Ionic liquids have properties that make them attractive as solvents for many chemical synthesis and catalysis reactions. Consequently, research has focused on their application as advanced solvents. Recently, ionic liquids were shown to have promise as a lubricant due to many of the same properties that make them useful as solvents. The focus of this paper is to study the surface chemistry of ionic liquid lubricated steel in sliding contact to temperatures from room to 300 °C. Tribological properties were evaluated using a pin on disk tribometer with high temperature capability (up to 800 °C). Chemistry was studied using Mossbauer spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Samples used for tribological evaluation were 1 inch diameter polished M50 disks. Samples used for studying the surface chemistry were enriched 57Fe grown via thermal evaporation. Some 57Fe samples were oxidized to Fe2O3 and Fe3O4 prior to treatment with ionic liquids. The metallic and oxidized 57Fe samples were then reacted with ionic liquids at elevated temperatures. Three ionic liquids were used in this study; 1-n-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate (BF4), 1,2-di-methyl-3-butylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide (TFMS), and 1,2-di-methyl-3-butylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate (PF6). This study was focused on understanding the high temperature stability of the liquids in contact with metal and under tribological stress. Therefore, the friction data was collected in the boundary (or mixed boundary/EHL) lubrication region to enhance surface contact. BF4 provided a friction coefficient of 0.04 for both the room and 100 °C tests and varied between 0.07 and 0.2 for the 300 °C test. The results from TFMS lubrication showed a friction coefficient of 0.025 at room temperature and 0.1 at 100 °C. The 300 °C test friction coefficient ranged between 0.1 and 0.3. Chemical analysis of the surface revealed corrosion of the surface due to reaction between the ionic liquids and steel/iron substrates.

An Investigation into the Suitability of Bismuth as an Alternative to Gold‐Amalgam as a Working Electrode for the In Situ Determination of Chemical Redox Species in the Natural Environment

AbstractThe suitability of the bismuth film working electrode was investigated as an alternative to the gold‐amalgam electrode used in solid state microelectrodes for in situ voltammetric analysis of redox chemistry in the natural environment (e.g., lakes, oceans, sedimentary pore waters). Chemical redox species measurable with the Au‐amalgam include O2, H2S, S$ {_{{x}}^{2-}}$, S2O$\rm{ {_{3}^{2-}}}$, Fe2+, Fe3+, Mn2+, I−. Bismuth was electrochemically deposited to form a solid film analogous to the Au‐amalgam on a polished gold disk electrode. The useable potential window of the Bi‐film was found to be narrower than that of the Au‐amalgam, precluding the detection of dissolved O2, I− and S2O$\rm{ {_{3}^{2-}}}$, whose redox potentials fall outside the Bi‐film's range. The Bi‐film was able to detect free H2S/HS− and total sulfide (AVS), but not Fe2+ or Mn2+. The Bi‐film was less sensitive to low levels of total sulfide (&lt;10 μM) than the Au‐amalgam; however, the Bi‐film was able to accurately quantify very high concentrations of sulfide (at least 15 mM), with a linear response up to an order of magnitude higher than that of the Au‐amalgam. Thus the Bi‐film appears to have limited application as an alternative to the Au‐amalgam microelectrode for in situ analysis of redox species in natural waters.

Performance Characteristics of Sequential Separation and Quantification of Lead‐210 and Polonium‐210 by Ion Exchange Chromatography and Nuclear Spectrometric Measurements

A selective separation and quantitative determination procedure for 210Pb and 210Po in various environmental matrices from different sources such as IAEA-326 soil, phosphate rocks (PR), and phosphogypsum (PG) was developed. The tested samples were digested sequentially using concentrated mineral acids (HF, HNO3) by a programmable high-pressure microwave digestion system. The sample solution was loaded onto a preconditioned ion exchange column (Sr-resin) for chromatographic separation. Polonium-210 was eluted by 6 M HNO3 then spontaneously deposited onto polished silver discs to be measured using low-background alpha spectrometry. Lead-210 was sequentially eluted using 6 M HCl solution, precipitated as lead oxalate, dissolved in HNO3 solution, and mixed with scintillation cocktail to be measured by liquid scintillation counting (LSC). Performance of the developed procedure was tested using a reference soil (IAEA-326), with recommended isotope values, that was used as a quality control to assess separation and quantification efficiency (recovery %). The minimum detectable activities of 210Pb and 210Po were found to be 24 and 0.28 Bq kg(-1) for the measurements using LSC and alpha spectrometry, respectively. The recoveries (%) of 210Pb and 210Po were found to be 80 and 60%, respectively. To test the validity of the proposed LSC method, a comparative study was performed by measuring 210Pb activity concentration in test samples by nondestructive gamma-ray spectrometry.

Vacancy defects induced in sintered polished UO 2 disks by helium implantation

Vacancy defects have been investigated in sintered polished and annealed uranium oxide disks. Slow positron beam coupled with Doppler broadening spectrometer was used to probe the track region of 1 MeV 3He ions implanted in uranium dioxide (UO 2) disks. The low and high momentum annihilation fractions, S and W, respectively, were measured in the first micrometer near surface region of the disks as a function of positron energy. The S and W values indicate that the 1 MeV He ions induce vacancy defects in the track region of their range. The vacancy defect depth distribution is heterogeneous. The positron trapping at these vacancy defects increases with the depth and with the implantation fluence indicating an increase of the vacancy defect concentration. The nature of the induced vacancy defects does not change with the fluence.

Incipient weathering rind development on introduced machine‐polished granite discs in an Arctic alpine environment, northern Scandinavia

AbstractWeathering rinds, zones of alteration on the exterior surfaces of rock outcrops and coarse unconsolidated surficial debris are widely used by geomorphologists and Quaternary geologists as indicators of the relative age of landforms and landscapes. Additionally they provide unique insights into the earliest stages of rock and mineral weathering, yet the origin of these alteration zones is relatively poorly understood. This lack of understanding applies especially to the initial stages of rind formation. The study reported in this paper has two principal objectives. The first is to use lightly polished granite discs inserted in soil profiles under several different plant communities in an Arctic alpine environment for a period of four or five years to investigate the nature of incipient weathering rind development. The second is to investigate the factors responsible for spatial variability in the nature and rates of rind formation.Incipient weathering rind development on the outer edges of the granite discs is observable and measurable over a period of time as short as four years in the mild Arctic alpine environment of Swedish Lapland. The earliest stages of rind development involve the development of a porous structure consisting of a combination of pits and fractures which have been solutionally enlarged and modified. Solution appears to be preferentially concentrated on the surfaces of feldspars and, to a lesser extent, quartz. In addition, iron oxides are present along grain boundaries and in grain interiors and are interpreted to have been derived from the oxidation of ferromagnesian minerals. Spatial variability in weathering rind development appears to be particularly driven by differences in moisture but is not related to soil pH. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley &amp; Sons, Ltd.

Characterisation and applications of Cr–Al–N coatings

There is an increasing number of applications for hard coatings in engineering where both high oxidation resistance and hot hardness are required. One way to address this problem is to use hard ceramic coatings which are a combination of more than one metal so that the coating performance will benefit from the combined mechanical properties of the metals present. In this study, chromium aluminium nitride (Cr–Al–N), titanium nitride (Ti–N), titanium aluminium nitride (Ti–Al–N) and chromium nitride (Cr–N) coatings were deposited on 6.35 mm HSS drills and on hardened and polished AISI M2 steel test discs by means of electron beam plasma-assisted physical vapour deposition. For all depositions, the coating temperature was below 500 °C. Laboratory tests were performed to characterise the mechanical and tribological properties of the coatings. Along with the laboratory tests, accelerated drilling tests and actual industrial applications (punching and gear-shaping) were also used to evaluate the performance of the coatings. The results from the laboratory characterisation, drill tests and industrial applications all showed that Cr–Al–N performs exceptionally well compared to the industry “standards” of Ti–N, Ti–Al–N and titanium carbo-nitride (Ti–C–N). The exceptional performance of Cr–Al–N compared to the other coatings is considered with reference to the coatings’ characteristics.

Deuterium trapping in sintered polished UO2 disks

In this work we present deuterium analysis performed using the 2H(3He,α)1H Nuclear Reaction Analysis method. Different sets of sintered polished uranium oxide disks have been investigated before and after annealing at 400°C in ArD2 atmosphere. Heterogeneous lateral deuterium distributions have been found for all the ArD2 annealed UO2 disks. The average deuterium amount increases after annealing at 400°C in ArD2 and decreases after a second annealing at 400°C in vacuum whatever is the set of sintered polished uranium oxide disks.

Influences on the tribological behaviour of slip-rolling DLC-coatings

Diamond like carbon (DLC)-coatings are applied very successfully on computer discs. Sliding friction tests confirm their high performance as dry lubricants with friction coefficients (COFs) below 0.1. In contrast to sliding tests, until very recently most of the DLC-coatings failed in slip-rolling test after fewer cycles than uncoated samples. However, present tests with DLC-coatings of seven different suppliers show a more promising tribological behaviour under slip-rolling conditions. The DLC-coatings were deposited onto steel 100Cr6, HRC 60, with a thickness of 2–3 μm. The counter bodies were uncoated, grinded or polished 100Cr6 discs with 30 mm radius of curvature. The tests were performed on a twin disc testing rig (Amsler type) with paraffin oil under boundary/mixed lubrication and rolling with 10% slip. The initial, average Hertzian contact pressure was adjusted to P m = 1.0, 1.25, and 1.5 GPa. The failure criterion was defined as the occurrence of a single damaged area larger than 1 mm 2, which was controlled by optical microscopy (OM). An acoustic emission (AE) measurement system was installed as an additional online control for coating failure. The stressed coatings and the chipping areas were analyzed by OM, SEM, EDX, AFM and Raman spectroscopy. Until now, the results reveal that a large scatter in lifetime of coatings occurs not only between samples of different coaters but also between the samples of one single batch. The highest lifetime reached by a DLC-coating under these testing conditions is 10 × 10 6 cycles. That is the highest life time for a coating tested under the testing conditions above in our laboratory so far. The following factors were identified to influence the life time of the coatings: coating thickness, interlayer type, topography of the coatings, counter body roughness and mechanical properties. But the most important factor determining the life time of the coatings is that the coating process does produce homogenous layers free of faults.