Interfacial chemistry of a perfluoropolyether lubricant studied by XPS and TDS

The interfacial chemistry of Fomblin Z25, a commercial perfluoropolyether used as lubricant for space applications, with different metallic surfaces: 440C steel, gold and aluminum was studied. Thin layers of Fomblin Z25 were evaporated onto the oxide-free substrates and the interfacial chemistry studied using XPS and TDS. The reactions were induced by heating the substrate and by rubbing the substrate with a steel ball. Gold was found to be completely unreactive towards Fomblin at any temperature. Reaction at room temperature was observed only in the case of the aluminum substrate, the most reactive towards Fomblin Z25 of the substrates studied. It was necessary to heat the 440C steel substrate to 190 degree C to induce decomposition of the fluid. The degradation of the fluid was indicated by the formation of a debris layer at the interface. This debris layer, composed of inorganic and organic reaction products, when completely formed, passivated the surface from further attack to the Fromblin on top. The tribologically induced reactions on 440C steel formed a debris layer of similar chemical characteristics to the thermally induced layer. In all cases, the degradation reaction resulted in preferential consumption of the difluoroformyl carbon (-OCF2O-)

Effects of aortic root motion on wall stress in the Marfan aorta before and after personalised aortic root support (PEARS) surgery

Aortic root motion was previously identified as a risk factor for aortic dissection due to increased longitudinal stresses in the ascending aorta. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of aortic root motion on wall stress and strain in the ascending aorta and evaluate changes before and after implantation of personalised external aortic root support (PEARS). Finite element (FE) models of the aortic root and thoracic aorta were developed using patient-specific geometries reconstructed from pre- and post-PEARS cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) images in three Marfan patients. The wall and PEARS materials were assumed to be isotropic, incompressible and linearly elastic. A static load on the inner wall corresponding to the patients' pulse pressure was applied. Cardiovascular MR cine images were used to quantify aortic root motion, which was imposed at the aortic root boundary of the FE model, with zero-displacement constraints at the distal ends of the aortic branches and descending aorta. Measurements of the systolic downward motion of the aortic root revealed a significant reduction in the axial displacement in all three patients post-PEARS compared with its pre-PEARS counterparts. Higher longitudinal stresses were observed in the ascending aorta when compared with models without the root motion. Implantation of PEARS reduced the longitudinal stresses in the ascending aorta by up to 52%. In contrast, the circumferential stresses at the interface between the supported and unsupported aorta were increase by up to 82%. However, all peak stresses were less than half the known yield stress for the dilated thoracic aorta

Spiral Orbit Tribometer

The spiral orbit tribometer (SOT) bridges the gap between full-scale life testing and typically unrealistic accelerated life testing of ball-bearing lubricants in conjunction with bearing ball and race materials. The SOT operates under realistic conditions and quickly produces results, thereby providing information that can guide the selection of lubricant, ball, and race materials early in a design process. The SOT is based upon a simplified, retainerless thrust bearing comprising one ball between flat races (see figure). The SOT measures lubricant consumption and degradation rates and friction coefficients in boundary lubricated rolling and pivoting contacts. The ball is pressed between the lower and upper races with a controlled force and the lower plate is rotated. The combination of load and rotation causes the ball to move in a nearly circular orbit that is, more precisely, an opening spiral. The spiral s pitch is directly related to the friction coefficient. At the end of the orbit, the ball contacts the guide plate, restoring the orbit to its original radius. The orbit is repeatable throughout the entire test. A force transducer, mounted in-line with the guide plate, measures the force between the ball and the guide plate, which directly relates to the friction coefficient. The SOT, shown in the figure, can operate in under ultra-high vacuum (10(exp -9) Torr) or in a variety of gases at atmospheric pressure. The load force can be adjusted between 45 and 450 N. By varying the load force and ball diameter, mean Hertzian stresses between 0.5 and 5.0 GPa can be obtained. The ball s orbital speed range is between 1 and 100 rpm

XPS analysis of 440C steel surfaces lubricated with perfluoropolyethers under sliding conditions in high vacuum

This work presents the results of the X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) analysis of AISI 440C ball surfaces lubricated with perfluoropolyether (PFPE) oils after friction experiments under sliding conditions at high load in air and vacuum environments. The PFPE lubricants tested were Demnum S100, Fomblin Z-25, and Krytox 143AB. It was found that all the PFPE lubricants were degraded by sliding contact causing the formation of inorganic fluorides on the metallic surfaces and a layer of organic decomposition products. KRYTOX 143AB was the least reactive of the three lubricants tested. It was also found that metal fluoride formed at off-scar areas. This suggests the formation of reactive species, such as COF2 or R(sub f)COF, during sliding experiments, which can diffuse through the lubricant film and react with the metallic surfaces away from the contact region. Comparison of reference specimens before sliding with those that had undergone the sliding tests showed that the amount of non-degraded PFPE remaining on the surface of the balls after the sliding experiments was greater than that of the balls without sliding

Ball Bearings Equipped for In Situ Lubrication on Demand

In situ systems that provide fresh lubricants to ball/race contacts on demand have been developed to prolong the operational lives of ball bearings. These systems were originally intended to be incorporated into ball bearings in mechanisms that are required to operate in outer space for years, in conditions in which lubricants tend to deteriorate and/or evaporate. These systems may also be useful for similarly prolonging bearing lifetimes on Earth. Reservoirs have been among the means used previously to resupply lubricants. Lubricant- resupply reservoirs are bulky and add complexity to bearing assemblies. In addition, such a reservoir cannot be turned on or off as needed: it supplies lubricant continuously, often leading to an excess of lubricant in the bearing. A lubricator of the present type includes a porous ring cartridge attached to the inner or the outer ring of a ball bearing (see Figure 1). Oil is stored in the porous cartridge and is released by heating the cartridge: Because the thermal expansion of the oil exceeds that of the cartridge, heating causes the ejection of some oil. A metal film can be deposited on a face of the cartridge to serve as an electrical-resistance heater. The heater can be activated in response to a measured increase in torque that signals depletion of oil from the bearing/race contacts. Because the oil has low surface tension and readily wets the bearing-ring material, it spreads over the bearing ring and eventually reaches the ball/race contacts. The Marangoni effect (a surface-tension gradient associated with a temperature gradient) is utilized to enhance the desired transfer of lubricant to the ball/race contacts during heating. For a test, a ball bearing designed for use at low speed was assembled without lubricant and equipped with a porous-ring lubricator, the resistance heater of which consumed a power of less than 1 W when triggered on by a torque-measuring device. In the test, a load of 20 lb (.89 N) was applied and the bearing was turned at a rate of 200 RPM. The lubricator control was turned on at the beginning of the test, turned off for about 800 seconds, then turned on again. As shown in Figure 2, the controlled lubricator stabilized the torque in a low range, starting immediately after initial turn-on and immediately after resumption of the lubricator control