On the Role of a ZDDP in the Tribological Performance of Femtosecond Laser-Induced Periodic Surface Structures on Titanium Alloy against Different Counterbody Materials

Laser-induced periodic surface structures (LIPSS, ripples) with ~500–700 nm period were produced on titanium alloy (Ti6Al4V) surfaces upon scan processing in air by a Ti:sapphire femtosecond laser. The tribological performance of the surfaces were qualified in linear reciprocating sliding tribological tests against balls made of di erent materials using di erent oil-based lubricants. The corresponding wear tracks were characterized by optical and scanning electron microscopy and confocal profilometry. Extending our previous work, we studied the admixture of the additive 2-ethylhexyl-zinc-dithiophosphate to a base oil containing only anti-oxidants and temperature stabilizers. The presence of this additive along with the variation of the chemical composition of the counterbodies allows us to explore the synergy of the additive with the laser-oxidized nanostructures

The Interaction between the Sheet/Tool Surface Texture and the Friction/Galling Behaviour on Aluminium Deep Drawing Operations

The increasing demands for lightweight design in the transport industry have led to an extensive use of lightweight materials such as aluminium alloys. The forming of aluminium sheets however presents significant challenges due to the low formability and the increased susceptibility to galling. The use of tailored workpieces and controlled die roughness surfaces are common strategies to improve the tribological behaviour, whilst galling is still not well understood. This work is aimed at analysing the interplay between the sheet and tool surface roughness on the friction and galling performance. Different degrees of Electro Discharge Texturing (EDT) textures were generated in AA1050 material strips, and tooling presenting different polishing degrees were prepared. Strip drawing tests were carried out to model the tribological condition and results were corroborated through cup drawing tests. A new galling severity index (GSI) is presented for a quick and quantitative determination of both galling occurrence and severity. The present study underlines the key role of die topography and the potential of die surface functionalization for galling prevention

An ad-hoc fretting wear tribotester design for thin steel wires

Steel wire ropes experience fretting wear damage when the rope runs over a sheave promoting an oscillatory motion between the wires. Consequently, wear scars appear between the contacting wires leading to an increase of the stress field and the following rupture of the wires due to fatigue. That is why the understanding and prediction of the fretting wear phenomena of thin wires is fundamental in order to improve the performance of steel wire ropes. The present research deals with the design of an ad-hoc fretting wear test machine for thin wires. The test apparatus is designed for testing thin wires with a maximum diameter of 1.0 mm, at slip amplitudes ranging from 5 to 300 μm, crossing angle between 0-90º, and contacting force ranging from 0,5 to 5 N. The working principle of displacement amplitude and contacting force as well as the crossing angle between the wires are described. Preliminary studies for understanding the fretting wear characteristics are presented, analysing 0.45 mm diameter cold-drawn eutectoid carbon steel (0.8% C) wires (tensilestrength higher than 3000 MPa)

The use of areal surface topography characterisation in relation to fatigue performance

Although the effect of surface topography on fatigue life is widely accepted, the underlying role of surface roughness from first principles is still poorly understood. Currently approaches which consider the influence of surface roughness on fatigue life prediction can be broadly classified into surface corrector factors (Cs) and stress concentration factors (Kt). Those approaches describe the surface according to the manufacturing process (machined, grounded...), or using 2D height descriptor parameters (Ra,Rz...). However, these approaches are not able to correctly describe the effect of roughness on the fatigue performance where it is anticipated a richer set of surface descriptors would show correlation. The present work aims to highlight the inherent limitations of the most commonly employed 2D surface measurement and characterization techniques, and provides an insight into the application of 3D areal surface characterization processes including the use of the latest areal surface topography parameters quantifying amplitude, spatial, and hybrid topographical information which is considered to be important for fatigue performance correlation

Critical analysis of the suitability of crack propagation direction criteria for 2D cylindrical plain fretting contact.

In this work the suitability of the criterion of maximum effective amplitude of the normal stress (Delta sigma(n,eff))(max) and the criterion of minimum shear stress range (Delta tau)(min) for 2D cylindrical plain fretting contact condition has been analysed. The numerical analysis has been performed by means of the extended finite element method, which takes into account the contact between crack faces during the closing part, and the results have been compared with experiments reported in the literature. Results show that overall the (Delta tau)(min) criterion predominates in intermediate stage, while the (Delta sigma(n,eff))(max) shows less deviation in the final stage. However, the predicted crack path by the latter criterion shifts toward the outer side, which do not correlate with the experimental results reported in the literature. Additional studies should investigate the variables that are affecting this change in the behaviour along the crack in order to set a criteria that is able to predict the plain fretting condition crack paths accurately