Abstract
This study reports on the tribological performance of aromatic thermosetting co-polyester (ATSP) and polyether ether ketone (PEEK)-based polymer composite coatings mixed with PTFE filler. The coatings were tested across a wide temperature range from −180 to 110 °C to simulate the environmental temperatures on Titan, Moon, and Mars, which are of particular interest for NASA’s future exploratory missions. An experimental setup was developed to conduct the pin-on-disk experiments under dry sliding conditions and extreme temperature and contact pressure. Transfer film formation and its characteristics were found to play significant roles in the tribological performance, and the characteristics of the film were temperature-dependent. The XPS and SEM analysis indicated the increase of the PTFE content in the transfer film as the temperature decreased to cryogenic conditions. The coefficient of friction did not follow a linear trend with temperature and was minimum at 110 °C and maximum at −180 °C. ATSP coating showed superior performance with lower friction and unmeasurable wear at all temperatures, whereas PEEK coating exhibited maximum wear at 25 °C followed by −180, and 110 °C.
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Acknowledgement
This work was supported by Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II contract No. # 80NSSC20C0180. The authors would like to thank Dr. Samuel A. Howard, NASA Glenn Research Center, Cleveland, Ohio, for his valuable suggestions during this research. The authors also acknowledge the use of Texas A&M University Materials Characterization Core Facility (RRID:SCR_022202), where SEM/EDS and XPS experiments were performed.
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Kian BASHANDEH. He is a full-time R&D Engineer at XPEL. He received his Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from Texas A&M University, USA. His dissertation work focused on tribological performance of thermosets and thermoplastics under extreme environmental conditions with applications in the aerospace industry. He is an expert in tribology (friction/wear), lubrication of interacting surfaces, and micro-nano mechanics.
Vasilis TSIGKIS. He is a full-time research engineer at ATSP Innovations. He received his Ph.D. in mechanical engineering at Texas A&M University, USA. His research interests focus on macro-tribological testing and characterization of advanced polymeric coatings, hard diamonds and superalloys in extreme environmental conditions, including cryogenic and high temperatures for space bearing applications.
Ahmad AMIRI. He is an Assistant Professor at the Russell School of Chemical Engineering at the University of Tulsa, USA. He holds two Ph.D. degrees: one from Texas A&M University, USA, in mechanical engineering (specializing in energy storage) and another from the University of Malaya, Malaysia, in mechanical engineering with a focus on heat transfer. Before joining the University of Tulsa, he served as a Research Assistant Professor at the J. Mike Walker ’66 Department of Mechanical Engineering at Texas A&M University for 6 years. He actively investigates topics such as Energy materials, energy storage devices, tribology, and the development of multifunctional composites and vitrimers. His scholarly contributions include over 115 archival journal papers, several book chapters, and a portfolio of more than five patents.
Pixiang LAN. He is a full-time research engineer with the Timken company. Prior to that he was with ATSP innovations. He received his M.S. in mechanical & electronics engineering from Xiamen University, China, in 2013, and received his Ph.D. from Texas A&M University, USA, in 2017. His research interests cover topics relevant to the tribological study of advanced polymeric coatings under extreme operating conditions and projects related with compressors, stamping machines, oil and gas industry, and high-temperature tribology up to 1,000 °C for nuclear reactor applications.
Andreas A. POLYCARPOU. He is the inaugural dean of engineering & computer science, and an endowed Chair professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Tulsa, USA. Formerly he was the James J. Cain chair in mechanical engineering at Texas A&M University. Dr. POLYCAPOU received his Ph.D. from University at Buffalo, USA, in 1994. His research interests include tribology, micro/nanotribology, nanomechanics, microtribodynamics, thin solid films, advanced interface materials, and energy storage batteries. Emphasis has been on micro/nanoscale contact problems with applications to micro-devices, as well as the tribology of devices for reduced energy and improved environmental-related impact.
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Bashandeh, K., Tsigkis, V., Amiri, A. et al. Polymer transfer film formation from cryogenic to elevated temperatures. Friction 12, 2018–2032 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40544-024-0862-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40544-024-0862-y