• Tribology and Lubricants
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.213-217
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• 2011

In this study, friction characteristics using elastomeric actuator with Magneto-rheological (MR) materials are identified. Typically, Magneto-rheological materials are divided into two groups by MR fluid in fluid state and MR elastomer in solid state like rubber. The stiffness characteristics of Magneto-rheological material can be changed as magnetic field is applied. MR fluid has been applied to various industry fields such as to brake, clutch, damper, engine mount and etc. However, MR fluid has been used under the sealed condition to prevent leaking issues. In order to overcome these problems, MR elastomer that has same property as MR fluid has been developed and studied. MR elastomer mainly consists of polymer material such as natural rubber or silicon rubber with particles that can be polarized with magnetic field. And it is called as a smart material since its stiffness and damping characteristics can be changed. In this study, MR elastomer is produced and pin-on-disc tests are carried out to identify the friction characteristics of the material. Several test conditions are applied to evaluate the feasibility to use as a smart actuator in the field of vibration control.

• Tribology and Lubricants
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.111-121
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• 2008

An integrated in-line oil monitoring detector assigned for continuous in situ monitoring multiple parameters of oil performance for predicting economically optimal oil change intervals and equipment condition control is presented in this study. The detector estimates oil deterioration based on the information about chemical degradation, total contamination, water content of oil and oil temperature. The oil oxidation is estimated by "chromatic ratio", total contamination is measured by the changes in optical intensity of oil in three optical wavebands ("Red", "Green" and "Blue") and water content is evaluated as Relative Saturation of oil by water. The detector is able to monitor oils with low light absorption (hydraulic, transformer, turbine, compressor and etc. oils) as well as oils with rather high light absorption in visible waveband (diesel and etc. oils). In a case study that the detector is applied to a diesel engine oil, it is found that the detector provides good results on oil chemical degradation as well as soot concentration.

• Tribology and Lubricants
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• v.11 no.5
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• pp.59-65
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• 1995

Tribological behaviors of nitrogen incorporated amorphous diamond-like carbon films were experimentally measured under a vacuum ($3 \times 10^{-5}$ Torr) using a ball (AISI 52100 steel)-on-disk wear-rig. Nitrogen incorporated DLC films were deposited by r.f. plasma assisted chemical vapor deposition method. Mixtures of benzene and ammonia or nitrogen gases were used as the reaction gases for the r.f. PACVD, and Si (100) wafer was used as the substrate. In the tribo-test, effects of DLC film thickness and normal load in friction were measured and discussed. Results showed that friction of nitrogen incorporated DLC films from a mixture gas of benzene and ammonia was lower than that of 100% benzene, specially in the measurement of minimum coefficient of friction. Differences in frictional characteristics of nitrogen incorporated DLC films were explained with the changes in chemical structures of the films. Result also showed that friction of DLC films increased with the sliding contact cycle, which remarkably accompanied with roll-shaped wear debris. Mechanisms and roles of the polymer-like wear debris were presented and discussed.

• Tribology and Lubricants
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• v.27 no.6
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• pp.293-301
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• 2011

Understanding of the tribological characteristics of polytetrafluoroethylen (PTFE) and ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) is crucial for their applications such as bearing and total joint replacement. In this work, the effect of the surface roughness of carbon steel on the tribological behaviors of PTFE and UHMWPE was experimentally investigated by using block-on-ring tribotester with friction force monitoring capability. It was found that that the amount of material transfer layers of PTFE formed on the carbon steel was significantly larger than those of UHMWPE, which was responsible the lower friction coefficient of PTFE. It was also concluded that the effect of surface roughness of carbon steel on the friction coefficient of UHMWPE was more significant than that of PTFE. For UHMWPE, it was found that the effect of surface roughness of counterface was varied with respect to applied normal force and sliding as well. Based on Archard's wear law, the wear coefficient of PTFE and UHMWPE was calculated to be $3{\times}10^{-5}$ ~ $8{\times}10^{-5}$ and $7{\times}10^{-6}$ ~ $2{\times}10^{-5}$, respectively.

• Tribology and Lubricants
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• v.23 no.6
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• pp.288-297
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• 2007

Adhesion and friction tests were carried out in order to investigate the effect of temperature on the tribological characteristics of poly (methylmethacrylate) (PMMA) film using AFM. The pull-off and friction forces on the PMMA film were measured under a high vacuum condition (below $1{\times}10^{-4}$ Pa) as the temperature of the PMMA film was increased from 300 K to 420 K (heating) and decreased to 300K (cooling). Friction tests were also conducted in both high vacuum and air conditions at room temperature. When the temperature was 420 K, which is 25 K higher than the glass transition temperature $(T_g)$ of PMMA, the PMMA film surface became deformable. Subsequently, the pull-off force was proportional to the maximum applied load during the pull-off force measurement. In contrast, when the temperature was under 395 K, the pull-off force showed no correlation to the maximum applied load. The friction force began to increase when the temperature rose above 370 K, which is 25 K lower than the $T_g$ of PMMA, and rapidly increased at 420 K. Decrease of the PMMA film stiffness and plastic deformation of the PMMA film were observed at 420 K in force-displacement curves. After the heating to 420 K, the fiction coefficient was measured under the air condition at room temperature and was found to be lower than that measured before the heating. Additionally, the RMS roughness increased as a result of the heating.

• Tribology and Lubricants
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.189-198
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• 2014

This paper presents the results of an experimental investigation of the correlation between the lubrication characteristics of an engine and its fuel economy. Improving the lubrication characteristics of the engine oil is one of the most efficient ways to improve a car's fuel economy. The methods to accomplish this include lowering the viscosity, adding a friction modifier and optimizing the shear stability index of a viscosity index improver. In addition, it is necessary to use different methods to reduce the friction to individual lubrication areas, because different lubrication regimes are used for different engine parts. The experimental investigation in this study is based on design of experiments ; this paper presents the results of a modified Sequence VID test, which is an ASTM standard test used to measure the effects of automotive engine oils on the fuel economy of passenger cars. The results demonstrate the effects of the following lubrication factors on the fuel economy : the low temperature cranking viscosity, high-temperature high shear (HTHS) viscosity, friction modifier, polymer type and shear stability index of the viscosity index improver. Moreover, this study involves an analysis of variance based on design of experiments. The test results show that the HTHS viscosity, friction modifier and shear stability index of the viscosity index improver are more effective than the other factors. Therefore, lowering the viscosity, adding a friction modifier and optimizing the shear stability index of a viscosity index improver should be considered to improve fuel economy.

• Tribology and Lubricants
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• v.30 no.6
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• pp.343-349
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• 2014

Currently, in order to resist the scratching of the fuel rod surface while fabricating the fuel assembly of the light-water nuclear reactor, we use a solution of nitrocellulose, an explosive material, as a dry lubricant along with its solvent. However, the demand for developing safe and harmless aqueous alternative materials for environment-conservation and field-worker safety has increased. In this study, we demonstrate the preparation of a novel aqueous resin composite using a formulation of aqueous polymeric resin, alcoholic solvent, and water. Subsequently, we characterize this composite on the basis of hardness, adhesive property, and water solubility using plates similar to the fuel rod material. The insertion test of a fuel rod coated with the YS-3 composite shows load values of $18.8-20.5kg/cm^2$, which is comparable with $18.8-20.5kg/cm^2$ of the nitrocellulose coating agent. In addition, the depth and width of longitudinal scratches caused by the YS-3 composite test are 50% higher than those of the standard. We can develop a harmless and safe aqueous dry lubricant to replace the existing NC products through field testing of 264 pieces of fuel rods, after producing 350 kg of the YS-3 prototype. The scratch test for the rod surface showed that weight of chip of YS-3 prototype was smaller than that of NC before and after solvent treatment, indicating the properties of YS-3 prototype was comparable to the counterpart.

• Tribology and Lubricants
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• v.39 no.6
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• pp.250-255
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• 2023

This study applies various surface patterns to minimize material loss in construction equipment that is subject to severe wear due to sand, such as the wear-resistant steel plates of dump trucks or the teeth of excavators. The relationship between surface morphology and wear behavior is investigated using PLA+ polymer to observe the effect of the surface pattern. Five types of samples - smooth, concave, convex, wavy concave, and wavy convex designs - are created using a 3D printer. A wear experiment is conducted for a duration of 3 h using 6.5 kg of abrasive particles. The mass loss of the samples after the experiment is measured to assess the extent of wear. Additionally, the surface morphology of the samples before and after the experiment is analyzed using SEM and confocal microscopy. The study results reveal that the smooth design exhibits the highest wear loss, whereas the concave and wavy concave designs show relatively lower wear loss. The convex and wavy convex designs exhibit varying contact areas with the abrasive particles depending on the surface pattern, resulting in different levels of wear. Furthermore, a comparison between the experimental results and DEM simulations confirms the observed wear trends. This study reveals the relationship between wear damage according to surface pattern shape and is expected to be of substantial help in the analysis of wear and tear on agricultural and heavy equipment.

• Tribology and Lubricants
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.75-81
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• 2016

Future electronics such as electronic paper and foldable cellphone are required to be flexible and transparent and should have a high performance. In order to fabricate the flexible electronics using flexibility transfer process, techniques for transferring various devices from rigid substrate onto flexible substrate by elastomeric stamp, have been developed. Adhesion between the elastomeric stamp and various devices is crucial for successful transfer process. The adhesion can be controlled by the thickness of the stamp, separation velocity, contact load, and stamp surface treatment. In this study, we fabricated the bump shape stamp consisting of a UV-curable polymer and investigated the effects of curing condition, separation velocity, and contact load on the adhesion characteristics of bumps. The bumps with hemispherical shape were fabricated using a dispensing process, which is one of the ink-jet printing techniques. Curing conditions of the bumps were controlled by the amount of UV irradiation energy. The adhesion characteristics of bumps are evaluated by adhesion test. The results show that the pull-off forces of bumps were increased and decreased as UV irradiation energy increased. For UV irradiation energies of 300 and 500 mJ/cm², the pull-off forces were increased as the separation velocity increased. The pull-off forces also increased with the increase of contact load. In the case of UV irradiation energy above 600 mJ/cm², however, the pull-off forces were not changed. Therefore, we believe that the bump shape stamp can be applied to roll-based transfer process and selective transfer process as an elastomeric stamp.

• Tribology and Lubricants
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.95-101
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• 2015

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are widely used in polymer composites as filler materials to enhance various characteristics of the composites because of their remarkable mechanical, electrical, and thermal properties. In this study, we investigate the effects of MWCNTs on the electrical and wear characteristics of high-impact polystyrene (HIPS) composites, and compare the results with the effects of carbon black (CB). The HIPS composites are classified as Bare-HIPS, MWCNT-HIPS composites containing 2, 3, 4, and 5 wt% MWCNTs, and CB-HIPS containing 17 wt% CB. Electrical characteristics are evaluated by measuring the surface resistance using a 4-point probe. Wear characteristics are evaluated using the reciprocating wear test, and a chrome steel ball with a curvature of 6.3 mm is used as the counterpart. The results show that the addition of MWCNTs or CB can improve the electrical and wear characteristics of HIPS composites. In the case of MWCNT-HIPS composites, surface resistance, friction coefficient, and specific wear rate decrease as the concentrations of MWCNTs increase. Moreover, the addition of MWCNTs is more effective in improving the electrical and wear characteristics of HIPS composites compared to the addition of CB. To fabricate the HIPS composite with appropriate electrical and wear characteristics, more than 4 wt% MWCNTs is added to HIPS.