• Tribology and Lubricants
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.125-131
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• 2018

A precision tribometer consisting of a cantilever was designed to measure frictional forces in the micro-Newton range. As frictional forces are measured based on the bending of the cantilever, vibration of the cantilever is the most significant factor affecting the quality of the friction measurement. Therefore, improved design of the tribometer with double cantilevers and a connecting plate that united the two cantilevers mechanically was suggested. For the verification of the modified design of the tribometer, numerical analysis and experiments were conducted. Examination using the finite element method revealed that the tribometer with a double cantilever and a connecting plate exhibited faster damping characteristics than the tribometer with a single cantilever. In the experiment, effectiveness of the double cantilever and connecting plate for vibration reduction was also confirmed. Vibration of the tribometer with double cantilever decreased eight times faster than that of the tribometer with a single cantilever. The faster damping of the double cantilever design is attributed to the mechanical interaction at the contacting surfaces between the cantilever and the connecting plate. Tribotesting using the tribometer with a single cantilever resulted in random fluctuation of frictional forces due to the stick-slip behavior. However, using the tribometer with a double cantilever and connecting plate for the tribotest gave relatively uniform and steady measurement of frictional forces. Increased stiffness owing to using a double cantilever and mechanical damping of the connecting plate were responsible for the stable friction signal.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Precision Engineering Conference
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• 2013.05a
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• pp.1231-1232
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• 2013

• Proceedings of the KSME Conference
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• 2001.06a
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• pp.151-156
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• 2001

Experimental frictional and wear characteristics of silicon graphite materials is studied in this paper. Those specimens are lubricated with high temperature and highly pressurized water to simulate the same operating condition for the journal bearing and the thrust bearing on the main coolant pump bearing in the newly developing nuclear reactor named SMART(System-integrated Modular Advanced ReacTor). Operating condition of the bearings is realized by the tribometer and the autoclave. Friction coefficient and wear loss are analyzed to choose the best silicon graphite material. Pin on plate test specimens are used and coned disk springs are used to control the applied force on the specimens. Wear loss ana wear width are measured by a precision balance and a micrometer. The friction force is measured by the strain gauge which can be used under high temperature and high pressure. Three kinds of silicon graphite materials are examined and compared with each other, and each material shows similar but different results on frictional and wear characteristics.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Precision Engineering Conference
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• 2003.06a
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• pp.211-214
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• 2003

The tribological properties of amphiphilic monolayers and composite multilayer on silicon surface were investigated using micro-tribometer and Auger Electron Spectroscopy. Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) monolayers from behenic acid. 2.4-heneicosanedione(HD) and its copper complex((HD)$_2$Cu) were fabricated on silicon surface and the composite multilayer of 5-bilayer of (HD)$_2$Cu was fabricated on the surface of octadecyltrichlorsilane (OTS) self-assembled monolayer(SAM). We observed that LB monolayers and the composite multilayer exhibited a steady and excellent friction response when compared with the OTS SAM. These LB mono and multilayer also showed much higher wear-resistance than the OTS SAM.

• Tribology and Lubricants
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• v.36 no.6
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• pp.342-349
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• 2020

The rapidly increasing threats to the environmental has increased the demand for biodegradable lubricants. Vegetable oils, such as olive, coconut, and sunflower oils, are readily obtainable and are not harmful, unlike synthetic and mineral oils. The tribological characteristics of these oils should be adequately examined for industrial applications. In this study, the lubrication characteristics of olive oil is investigated using a pin-on-disk-type tribometer under 500 gf of normal force, and the examination results are compared and analyzed with those of commercial synthetic lubricants for friction and wear. In addition, stearic acid, which is a type of saturated fatty acid, is mixed with olive oil as an additive to improve its lubrication characteristics. Olive oil with stearic acid additive is thus observed to exhibit the lowest friction coefficient for rotational speeds of 200 to 800 rpm. According to the wear analysis, a minimal amount of wear is observed when no additive is used. Hence, olive oil is able to effectively reduce friction and wear at relatively low speeds. These low friction and wear characteristics of olive oil are attributed to its compatibility with the substrate.

• Tribology and Lubricants
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• v.33 no.5
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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.