• Tribology and Lubricants
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• 제33권5호
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• pp.220-227
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• 2017

In this work, carbon nanotube and nano-size alumina particle are exploited as additive for lubrication experiment. We used pin-on-disk type tribometer to investigate the tribological characteristics of lubricants with respect to additives and rotational speed. We conducted more than 15 trials of tribotests for two hours for each specimen to obtain stable and accurate frictional force and to create measurable wear track on the substrate. We conducted tests at the boundary/mixed lubrication regime to evaluate the influence of additives on the tribological characteristics. We found that the friction coefficient decreased as the rotational speed increased and as additives were added. In particular, the reduction of friction by adding additives was more significant at low rotational speed than at high rotational speed. We speculate that the additives helped to separate and protect the two contacting surfaces at low speed, while the influence of additives was not significant at high speed since sufficiently thick lubricant film was formed. The wear of the substrate was also reduced by adding additives to the lubricant. However, in contrast to friction, the amount of wear at high rotational speed was less when alumina particles were added to the lubricant than the amount of wear at low speed. We speculate that the increased wear at low rotational speed is as a result of the intermittent abrasive wear caused by alumina particles with uneven shape, while the reduced wear at high speed is as a result of sufficient film thickness which prevented the abrasive wear.

• KSTLE International Journal
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• 제6권2호
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• pp.39-44
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• 2005

Friction and wear properties of the Boron carbide ($B_{4}C$) coating 100 nm thickness were studied under various relative humidity (RH). The boron carbide film was deposited on silicon substrate by DC magnetron sputtering method using $B_{4}C$ target with a mixture of Ar and methane ($CH_4$) as precursor gas. Friction tests were performed using a reciprocation type friction tester at ambient environment. Steel balls of 3 mm in diameter were used as counter-specimen. The results indicated that relative humidity strongly affected the tribological properties of boron carbide coating. Friction coefficient decreased from 0.42 to 0.09 as the relative humidity increased from $5\%$ to $85\%$. Confocal microscopy was used to observe worn surfaces of the coating and wear scars on steel balls after the tests. It showed that both the coating surface and the ball were significantly worn-out even though boron carbide is much harder than the steel. Moreover, at low humidity ($5\%$) the boron carbide showed poor wear resistance which resulted in the complete removal of coating layer, whereas at the medium and high humidity conditions, it was not. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) analyses were performed to characterize the chemical composition of the worn surfaces. We suggest that tribochemical reactions occurred during sliding in moisture air to form boric acid on the worn surface of the coating. The boric acid and the tribochemcal layer that formed on steel ball resulted in low friction and wear of boron carbide coating.

• Tribology and Lubricants
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• 제35권3호
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• pp.176-182
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• 2019

The primary objective of this study is to treat a monocrystalline silicon (Si) wafer having a thickness of $279{\mu}m$ by employing the ultrasonic nanocrystal surface modification (UNSM) technology for improving the efficiency and service life of nano-electromechanical systems (NEMSs) and micro-electromechanical systems (MEMSs) by enhancing of wear and corrosion resistances. The wear and corrosion resistances of the Si wafer were systematically investigated before and after UNSM treatment, wherein abrasive, oxidative and spalling wear mechanisms were applied to the as-received and subsequently UNSM-treated Si wafer. Compared to the asreceived state, the wear and corrosion resistances of the UNSM-treated Si wafer are found to be enhanced by about 23% and 14%, respectively. The enhancement in wear and corrosion resistances after UNSM treatment may be attributed to grain size refinement (confirmed by Raman spectroscopy) and modified surface integrity. Furthermore, it is observed that the Raman intensity reduced significantly after UNSM treatment, whereas neither the Raman shift nor new phases were found on the surface of the UNSM-treated Si wafer. In addition, the friction coefficient values of the as-received and UNSM-treated Si wafers are found to be about 0.54 and 0.39, respectively. Hence, UNSM technology can be effectively incorporated as an alternative mechanical surface treatment for NEMSs and MEMSs comprising Si wafers.

• Tribology and Lubricants
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• 제37권5호
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• pp.189-194
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• 2021

A straightforward, yet effective surface modification method of stainless steel mesh and its interesting anti-wetting characteristics are reported in this study. The stainless steel mesh is electrochemically etched, and the specimen has both micro and nano-scale structures on its surface. This process transforms the two types of mesh specimens known as the regular and dense specimens into hydrophobic specimens without applying any hydrophobic chemical coating process. The fundamental wettability of the modified mesh is analyzed through a dedicatedly designed experiment to investigate the waterproof characteristics, for instance, the penetration threshold. The waterproof characteristics are evaluated in a manner that the modified mesh resists as high as approximately 2.7 times the pressure compared with the bare mesh, i.e., the non-modified mesh. The results show that the penetration threshold depends primarily on the advancing contact angles, and the penetration stop behaviors are affected by the contact angle hysteresis on the surfaces. The findings further confirm that the inexpensive waterproof meshes created using the proposed straightforward electrochemical etching process are effective and can be adapted along with appropriate designs for various practical applications, such as underwater devices, passive valves, and transducers. In general, , additional chemical coatings are applied using hydrophobic materials on the surfaces for the applications that require water-repelling capabilities. Although these chemical coatings can often cause aging, the process proposed in this study is not only cost-effective, but also durable implying that it does not lose its waterproof properties over time.

• Tribology and Lubricants
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• 제39권5호
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• pp.167-172
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• 2023

Titanium alloys are widely recognized among engineering materials owing to their impressive mechanical properties, including high strength-to-weight ratios, fracture toughness, resistance to fatigue, and corrosion resistance. Consequently, applications involving titanium alloys are more susceptible to damage from unforeseen events, such as scratches. Nevertheless, the impact of microscopic damage remains an area that requires further investigation. This study delves into the microscopic wear behavior of α-titanium crystal structures when subjected to linear scratch-induced damage conditions, utilizing molecular dynamics simulations as the primary methodology. The configuration of crystal lattice structures plays a crucial role in influencing material properties such as slip, which pertains to the movement of dislocations within the crystal structure. The molecular dynamics technique surpasses the constraints of observing microscopic phenomena over brief intervals, such as sub-nano- or pico-second intervals. First, we demonstrate the localized transformation of lattice structures at the end of initialization, indentation, and wear processes. In addition, we obtain the exerted force on a rigid sphere during scratching under linear movement. Furthermore, we investigate the effect of the relaxation period between indentation and scratch deformation. Finally, we conduct a comparison study of nanoindentation between crystal and amorphous Ti substrates. Thus, this study reveals the underlying physics of the microscopic transformation of the α-titanium crystal structure under wear-like accidental events.

• Tribology and Lubricants
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• 제39권5호
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• pp.197-202
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• 2023

Recently, research on experimental and analytical techniques utilizing microfluidic devices has been pursued. For example, lab-on-a-chip devices that integrate micro-devices onto a single chip for processing small sample quantities have gained significant attention. However, during sample preparation, unnecessary gases can be introduced into the internal channels, thus, impeding device flow and compromising specific function efficiency, including that of analysis and separation. Several methods have been proposed to mitigate this issue, however, many involve cumbersome procedures or suffer from complexities owing to intricate structures. Recently, some approaches have been introduced that utilize hydrophobic device structures to remove gases within channels. In such cases, the permeability of gases passing through the structure becomes a crucial performance factor. In this study, a method involving the deposition and sintering of diluted Ag-ink onto a silicon wafer surface is presented. This is followed by unstructured nano-pattern creation using a Metal Assisted Chemical Etching (MACE) process, which yields a nanostructured surface with unstructured pillar shapes. Subsequently, gas permeability in the spaces formed by these surface structures is investigated. This is achieved by experiments conducted to incorporate a pressure chamber and measure gas permeability. Trends are subsequently analyzed by comparing the results with existing theories. Finally, it can be confirmed that the significance of this study primarily lies in its capability to effectively evaluate gas permeability through unstructured pillar-like nanostructures, thus, providing quantitative values for the appropriate driving pressure and expected gas removal time in practical device operation.

• 한국윤활학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국윤활학회 2002년도 proceedings of the second asia international conference on tribology
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• pp.165-166
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• 2002

Hydrogen free diamond like carbon (DLC) films were prepared on steel substrates by using a single ion beam in a configuration that allowed sputtering of a graphite target and at the same time allowed to impact the substrate at a grazing angle. The DLC films so prepared have improved properties with increased disorder and with modest hardness that is slightly higher than previously reported values. We have studied the effects of $N_2^+$ ions implantation on such films. It is found that the implantations of nitrogen ions into DLC films lead to chemical modifications that allowed N atoms to be incorporated into the carbon network to produce a nitrogenated DLC. Nano-indentation experiments indicated that the nitrogenated films have consistently higher hardnesses ranging from 30 to 45GPa, which represents a considerable increase in surface hardness, compared with non-nitrogenated precursor films. The investigations by XPS and Raman spectroscopy suggests that the $N_2^+$ implanted DLCs had undergone both chemical and structural modifications through the incorporation of N atoms and the increased ratio of $sp^3/sp^2$ type bonding. The observed high hardness was therefore attributable to these structural and chemical modifications. This result has implication for the preparation of super hard wear resistant films required for tribological functions in devices.

• 한국윤활학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국윤활학회 2002년도 proceedings of the second asia international conference on tribology
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• pp.157-158
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• 2002

A surface hardenable low alloy carbon steel was implanted with medium energy (20 - 50KeV) $N_2^+$ ions to produced a modified hardened surface. The implantation conditions were varied and are given in several doses. The surface hardness of treated and untreated steels were measured using depth sensing ultra micro indentation system (UMIS). It is shown that the hardness of nitrogen ion implanted steels varied from 20 to 50GPa depending on the implantation conditions and the doses of implantation. The structure of the modified surfaces was examined by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). It was found that the high hardness on the implanted surfaces was as a result of formation of non-equilibrium nitrides. High-resolution XPS studies indicated that the nitride formers were essentially C and Si from the alloy steel. The result suggests that the ion implantation provided the conditions for a preferential formation of C and Si nitrides. The combination of evidences from nano-indentation and XPS, provided a strong evidence for the existence of $sp^3$ type of bonding in a suspected $(C,Si)_xN_y$ stoichiometry. The formation of ultra hard surface from relatively cheap low alloy steel has significant implication for wear resistance implanted low alloy steels.

• 한국재료학회지
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• 제21권3호
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• pp.149-155
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• 2011

We investigated tribological characteristics of diamond-like carbon (DLC) in a condition with carbon nanotube (CNT) content of 1wt% in aqueous solution. Si-DLC films were deposited by radio frequency plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (RF-PECVD) process on Al6061 aluminum alloy. In this study, the deposition of DLC films was carried out in vacuum with a chamber pressure of 10-5 to 10-3 Torr achieved by mechanical pump followed by turbo molecular pump. The surface adsorbed oxygen on the Aluminum substrates was removed by passing Ar gas for 10 minutes. The RF power was maintained at 500W throughout the experiment. A buffer layer of HMDSO was deposited on the substrate to improve the adhesion of DLC coating. At this point CH4 gas was introduced in the chamber using gas flow controller and DLC coating was deposited on the buffer layer along with HMDSO for 50 min. The thickness of 1 ${\mu}m$ was obtained for DLC films on aluminum substrates The tribological properties of as synthesized DLC films were analyzed by wear test in the presence of dry air, water and lubricant such as CNT ink.

• 한국윤활학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국윤활학회 1998년도 제28회 추계학술대회
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• pp.106-114
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• 1998

Tribological investigation of ultra thin film magnetic storage disks which have two different kinds of start/stop zone of laser textured bump disk and mechanically textured disk for before CSS test and after CSS test. To measure surface roughness, height reduction before/after CSS test and obtain accurate topographies, AFM(Atomic Force Microscope) which is most powerful recently has been used. The result of statistical analysis showed that both laser textured bump height and mechanically textured zone height have been reduced about 4~7nm after 15000 cycle CSS test. Using commercial Nano-Indenter, ramping load scratch test has been performed to investigate friction characteristic for laser textured zone and mechanically textured zone before/after CSS test.