• Tribology and Lubricants
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• v.37 no.5
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• pp.151-163
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• 2021

Since the discovery of single-layer graphene, exploiting graphene's excellent physical/chemical properties in tribology systems has been a topic of interest in academia over the last few decades. There is no doubt that understanding the underlying friction mechanism of graphite should precede this. Even now, new properties of graphene are being reported in academia, and based on this, studies exploring the origins of graphene's surface properties and friction characteristics in a wide range of scales are also being performed. From the perspective of lubrication engineering, graphene research can be largely divided into studies that 1) reveal its basic friction mechanism at the nanoscale and 2) explore its application in macroscale sliding systems. At the nanoscale, the basic friction mechanism of graphene is mainly due to its atomic thickness. In this paper, the various research on the nanoscale friction and surface characteristics of graphene is reviewed. Graphene surface properties, such as wettability and surface energy and the basic friction mechanisms of graphene attributed to adhesion, electronphonon scattering, bending stiffness, and the underlying substrate, are summarized. Further, we provide the research outcomes on the superlubricity of graphene. Finally, the potential application and challenges of the superlubricity of graphene are highlighted. Through this, we intend to provide summarized information to researchers interested in the tribological properties of graphene and help set the direction of future research.

• Tribology and Lubricants
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• v.38 no.3
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• pp.101-108
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• 2022

The structure and properties of tetrahedral amorphous carbon (ta-C) coatings depend on the main process parameters and bending angles of the magnetic field filter used in the filtered cathodic vacuum arc (FCVA). During the process, it is possible to effectively control the plasma flux of carbon ions incident on the substrate by controlling the arc discharge current, thereby influencing the mechanical properties of the coating film. Furthermore, we can control the size and amount of large particles mixed during carbon film formation while conforming with the bending angle of the mechanical filter mounted on the FCVA; therefore, it also influences the mechanical properties. In this study, we consider tribological characteristics for filtered bending angles of 45° and 90° as a function of arc discharge currents of 60 and 100 A, respectively. Experiment results indicate that the frictional behavior of the ta-C coating film is independent of the bending angle of the filter. However, its sliding wear behavior significantly changes according to the bending angle of the FCVA filter, unlike the effect of the discharge current. Further, upon changing the bending angle from 45° to 90°, abrasive wear gets accelerated, thereby changing the size and mixing amount of macro particles inside the coating film.

• Advances in nano research
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.97-111
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• 2022

In the present article, silica nanoparticles (SNPs) were exploited to improve the tribological and mechanical properties of vinyl ester/glass fiber composites. To the best of our knowledge, there hasn't been any prior study on the wear properties of glass fiber reinforced vinyl ester SiO₂ nanocomposites. The wear resistance is a critical concern in many industries which needs to be managed effectively to reduce high costs. To examine the influence of SNPs on the mechanical properties, seven different weight percentages of vinyl ester/nano-silica composites were initially fabricated. Afterward, based on the tensile testing results of the silica nanocomposites, four wt% of SNPs were selected to fabricate a ternary composite composed of vinyl ester/glass fiber/nano-silica using vacuum-assisted resin transfer molding. At the next stage, the tensile, three-point flexural, Charpy impact, and pin-on-disk wear tests were performed on the ternary composites. The fractured surfaces were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images after conducting previous tests. The most important and interesting result of this study was the development of a nanocomposite that exhibited a 52.2% decrease in the mean coefficient of friction (COF) by augmenting the SNPs, which is beneficial for the fabrication/repair of composite/steel energy pipelines as well as hydraulic and pneumatic pipe systems conveying abrasive materials. Moreover, the weight loss due to wearing the ternary composite containing one wt% of SNPs was significantly reduced by 70%. Such enhanced property of the fabricated nanocomposite may also be an important design factor for marine structures, bridges, and transportation of wind turbine blades.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.499-512
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• 2022

This work proposes a novel contactless vibration damping and thermal isolation tripod platform based on Superconducting Magnetic Levitation (SML). This prototype is suitable for cryogenic environments, where classical passive, semi active and active vibration isolation techniques may present tribological problems due to the low temperatures and/or cannot guarantee an enough thermal isolation. The levitating platform consists of a Superconducting Magnetic Levitation (SML) with inherent passive static stabilization. In addition, the use of Operational Modal Analysis (OMA) technique is proposed to characterize the transmissibility function from the baseplate to the platform. The OMA is based on the Stochastic Subspace Identification (SSI) by using the Expectation Maximization (EM) algorithm. This paper contributes to the use of SSI-EM for SML applications by proposing a step-by-step experimental methodology to process the measured data, which are obtained with different unknown excitations: ambient excitation and impulse excitation. Thus, the performance of SSI-EM for SML applications can be improved, providing a good estimation of the natural frequency and damping ratio without any controlled excitation, which is the main obstacle to use an experimental modal analysis in cryogenic environments. The dynamic response of the 510 g levitating platform has been characterized by means of OMA in a cryogenic, 77 K, and high vacuum, 1E-5 mbar, environment. The measured vertical and radial stiffness are 9872.4 N/m and 21329 N/m, respectively, whilst the measured vertical and radial damping values are 0.5278 Nm/s and 0.8938 Nm/s. The first natural frequency in vertical direction has been identified to be 27.39 Hz, whilst a value of 40.26 Hz was identified for the radial direction. The determined damping values for both modes are 0.46% and 0.53%, respectively.

• Tribology and Lubricants
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• v.37 no.6
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• pp.246-252
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• 2021

Among the engine components of an internal combustion engine, the valve train is a series of systems that supply intake gas to the combustion chamber and operate intake and exhaust valves that discharge exhaust gas. If excessive wear occurs in the valve train system, the suction and exhaust valves do not open and close on time, which leads to abnormal combustion and exhaust gas. In this study, we conduct experiments and analyses on friction and wear characteristics of the valve train system. Moreover, we experimentally study the correlation between the pinball and pinball cap on engine oil lubrication, friction experiment, wear amount analysis, and surface analysis. Specifically, we experiment using Ball on reciprocating tribo-tester and apply commercial engine oil sold on the market engine oil. We construct the experimental conditions for each new oil and oil. Accordingly, the completed specimen was subjected to a confocal microscope to check the wear volume, observe the surface of the specimen, and confirm the elemental components using a scanning microscope (SEM) and an energy dispersion X-ray spectrometer (EDS). Through this experiment, we analyze the friction and wear characteristics of valve train components according to engine oil grade, and the obtained data serve as an effective engine oil management method.

• Tribology and Lubricants
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.15-21
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• 2022

Diamond reinforced Cr-based coating has been proposed as wear-resistant materials. In this study, the friction and wear characteristics of diamond reinforced Cr-based coating are experimentally assessed. The experiments are performed using a pin-on-reciprocating plate tribo-tester under various normal forces with boundary lubrication. The stainless-steel ball is used as a counter material. Prior to the experiments, mechanical properties such as elastic modulus and hardness are determined using nanoscale instrumented indentation. The hardness of the specimen is further determined using a Vickers hardness tester. The specimens before and after the experiments are carefully observed using a confocal microscope to understand the wear characteristics. In addition, the wear volume and wear rate of the specimens are determined based on the confocal microscope data. The results show that the friction coefficients are 0.096-0.100 under 20-40 N normal forces. Furthermore, the wear rates of the diamond reinforced Cr-based coating and the stainless steel ball under 20-40 N normal forces are found to be 12.8 × 10^-8 mm³/(Nm)-15.5 × 10^-8 mm³/(Nm) and 1.9 × 10^-8 mm³/(Nm)-3.9 × 10^-8 mm³/(Nm), respectively. However, the effect of the normal force on wear rates is not clearly observed, which may be associated with the flattening of the ball. The results of the study may be useful for the tribological applicability of diamond reinforced Cr-based coating as wear-resistant materials.

• Tribology and Lubricants
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.8-14
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• 2022

Amorphous carbon (a-C) has excellent wear resistance and, therefore is used as a coating to protect numerous mechanical components to prolong their lifetimes. Among the a-C coatings, diamond-like carbon (DLC) and DLC-containing silicon (Si-DLC) receive extensive attention owing to their enhanced wear resistance and low frictional characteristics. In this study, the friction and wear characteristics of DLC and Si-DLC coatings are analyzed. For comparative analysis, DLC-coated and Si-DLC-coated vanes are utilized with the counterpart of a roller for the friction tests. Since the lubricated mechanical components are generally vulnerable to wear when a lubricant film does not form properly, friction tests are conducted under boundary lubrication conditions to promote wear. A cylinder-on-cylinder type tribometer is used to perform the friction tests with various normal load conditions. After the friction test, a 3D laser confocal microscope is used for quantifying the wear volume to calculate the wear rate of each specimen. Consequently, the DLC-coated specimen shows a lower coefficient of friction (COF) and wear rate than the specimen without the coating, while the Si-DLC coating shows a higher COF than the bare specimen. The results of this study are expected to contribute to improving the efficiency and reliability of compressors.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Precision Engineering Conference
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• 2003.06a
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• pp.533-537
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• 2003

Compared to sintered polycrystalline diamond (PCD), the deposited thin film diamond has a great advantage on the fabrication of cutting tools with complex geometries such as drills. Because of high performance in high speed machining non-ferrous difficult-to-cut materials in the field of automobiles industry, aeronautics and astronautics industry, diamond-coated drills find large potentialities in commercial applications. However, the poor adhesion of the diamond film on the substrate and high surface roughness of the drill flute adversely affect the tool lift and machining quality and they become the main technical barriers for the successful development and commercialization of diamond-coated drills. In this paper, diamond thin films were deposited on the commercial WC-Co based drills by the electron aided hot filament chemical vapor deposition (EACVD). A new multiple coating technology based on changing gas pressure in different process stages was developed. The large triangular faceted diamond grains may have great contribution to the adhesive strength between the film and the substrate, and the overlapping ball like blocks consisted of nanometer sized diamond crystals may contribute much to the very low roughness of diamond film. Adhesive strength and quality of diamond film were evaluated by scanning electron microscope (SEM), atomic force microscope (AFM), Raman spectrum and drilling experiments. The ring-block tribological experiments were also conducted and the results revealed that the friction coefficient increased with the surface roughness of the diamond film. From a practical viewpoint, the cutting performances of diamond-coated drills were studied by drilling the SiC particles reinforced aluminum-matrix composite. The good adhesive strength and low surface roughness of flute were proved to be beneficial to the good chip evacuation and the decrease of thrust and consequently led to a prolonged tool lift and an improved machining quality. The wear mechanism of diamond-coated drills is the abrasive mechanical attrition.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Precision Engineering
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• v.14 no.9
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• pp.146-154
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• 1997

Ion implantation has been used successfully as a surface treatment technology to improve the wear. fatigue and corrosion resistances of materials. A modified surface layer by ion implantation is very thin(under 1 m), but it has different mechanical properties from the substrate. It has also different wear characteristics. Since wear is a dynamic phenomenon on interacting surfaces with relative motion, an effective method for investigtating the wear of a thin layer is the observation of wear process in microscopic detail using in-situ system. The change of wear properties produces the transition of wear mode. To know the microscopic wear mechanism of this thin layer, it is very important to clarify its microscopic wear mode. In this paper, using the SEM and AFM Rribosystems as in-situ system, the microscopic wear of Ti ion-implanted 1C-3Cr steel, a material for roller in the cold working process, was investigated in repeated sliding. The depth of wear groove and the speciffc wear amount were changed with transition of microscopic wear mode. The depth of wear groove with friction cycles in AFM tribosystem and specific wear amount of Ti ion-implanted 1C-3Cr steel were less about 2-3 times than those of non-implanted 1C-3Cr steel. The microscopic wear mechansim of Ti ion-implanted 1C-3Cr steel was also clarified. The microscopic wear property was quantitatively evaluated in terms of microscopic wear mode and specific wear amount.

• Journal of the Microelectronics and Packaging Society
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.13-20
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• 2023

The process of microelectromechanical system (MEMS) fabrication involves surface treatment to impart functionality to the device. Such surface treatment method is the self-assembled monolayer (SAM) technique, which modifies and functionalizes the surface of MEMS components with organic molecule monolayer, possessing a precisely controllable strength that depends on immersion time and solution concentration. These monolayers spontaneously adsorb on polymeric substrates or metal/ceramic components offering high precision at the nanoscale and modifying surface properties. SAM technology has been utilized in various fields, such as tribological property control, mass-production lithography, and ultrasensitive organic/biomolecular sensor applications. This paper provides an overview of the development and application of SAM technology in various fields.