Abstract
This work is a review of previous works, presenting and discussing the most important results obtained by an ongoing research program towards the development of innovative, low-cost, self-lubricating composites with a low friction coefficient and high mechanical strength and wear resistance. Special emphasis is given to uniaxial die pressing of solid lubricant particles mixed with matrix powders and to metal injection moulding associated with in situ generation of solid lubricant particles. Initially, a microstructural model/processing route (powder injection moulding followed by plasma-assisted debinding and sintering) produced a homogeneous dispersion of in situ generated solid lubricant particles. Micrometric nodules of graphite with diameter smaller than 20 μm were formed, constituting a nanostructured stacking of graphite foils with nanometric thickness. Micro Raman analysis indicated that the graphite nodules were composed of turbostratic 2D graphite having highly misaligned graphene planes separated by large interlamellae distance. Large interplanar distance between the graphene foils and misalignment of these foils were confirmed by transmission electron microscopy and were, probably, the origin of the outstandingly low dry friction coefficient (0.04). The effect of sintering temperature, precursor content, metallic matrix composition and surface finish is also reported. Furthermore, the influence of a double-pressing/double-sintering (DPDS) technique on the tribological performance of self-lubricating uniaxially die-pressed hBN + graphite-Fe-Si-C-Mo composite is also investigated. Moreover, the tribological behaviour of die-pressed Fe-Si-C matrix composites containing 5, 7.5 and 10 wt% solid lubricants (hBN and graphite) added during the mixing step is analysed in terms of mechanical properties and wear mechanisms. Finally, the synergy between solid lubricant particles dispersed in a metallic matrix and fluid lubricants in a cooperative mixed lubrication regime is presented.
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Acknowledgments
The authors acknowledge the following Brazilian agencies for funding this research: CNPq, BNDES, Capes, Fapesc and Fapemig, as well as Whirlpool/Embraco. The helpful discussions and valuable suggestions of Prof. Henara Lillian Costa from the Federal University of Rio Grande, Brazil, are also acknowledged.
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José Daniel Biasoli DE MELLO. He is an emeritus professor in the College of Mechanical Engineering at the Federal University of Uberlândia, Brazil and a visiting professor at the Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, Brazil. He is also a senior researcher (level 1) of the National Research Council (CNPq), Brazil. He received his B.S. degree in mechanical engineering from the Federal University of Uberlândia. In 1983, he received his Doc. Ing. degree in metallurgy from the Institut National Polytechnique de Grenoble, Grenoble, France. He acted as Professeur Associé in the École Nationale Supérieure de Mécanique et Microtechniques, Besançon, France (1990). In 1998−1999, he worked as a visiting scholar at the Department of Materials Science and Metallurgy, University of Cambridge, UK. In 2007 he worked as a Fulbright visiting professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA. He is a member of the editorial board of several journals including Friction. Professor De Mello has published more than 300 full papers in proceedings of national and internationals conferences, congresses and journals. Professor De Mello’s current researches are abrasion-corrosion, surface durability of solid lubricants, and tribological behaviour of sintered material.
Cristiano BINDER. He received the bachelor degree in chemical engineering from the Federal University of Santa Catarina (2004), the master degree in materials science and engineering from the Federal University of Santa Catarina (2006) and the PhD degree in materials science and engineering from the Federal University of Santa Catarina (2009). He is currently a professor at the Federal University of Santa Catarina. He has experience in the field of materials engineering, focusing on plasma materials processing, powder metallurgy, and surface engineering. He authored/co-authored 42 research papers and holds 15 patents.
Gisele HAMMES. She received her bachelor degree in materials engineering from the Federal University of Santa Catarina (2004), and her MS and PhD degrees in materials science and engineering from the Federal University of Santa Catarina in 2006 and 2011, respectively. She is currently a postdoctoral researcher at Materials Laboratory at this university, working with self-lubricating materials, soft magnetic materials, and surface engineering. She has published 18 papers and holds 4 patents.
Roberto BINDER. He received the degree in mechanical engineering from the Federal University of Santa Catarina (1993) and the master degree in materials science and engineering from the Federal University of Santa Catarina (1996). He is currently a senior researcher at the Brazilian Compressors Company (EMBRACO), where he has been working since 1998. He is a corporate specialist in engineering and materials science, acting as coordinator of research projects in partnerships with universities and research institutes, activities that aim to overcome the state of the art materials solutions for refrigeration compressors. He has experience in powder metallurgy and surface treatments, working mainly on the following topics: iron and sintered steel, solid lubricants, plasma nitriding, DLC coatings, tribology, and materials characterization techniques.
Aloisio Nelmo KLEIN. He received his B.S. degree in physics (1976) and his master degree in materials engineering (1979) from Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (Brazil) and his PhD. degree from University of Karlsruhe (Germany) in 1983. He is a full professor at the Mechanical Engineering Department, Federal University of Santa Catarina where he works since 1983. Professor Klein has published more than 340 full papers in proceedings of national and internationals conferences, congresses, and journals. He also holds 123 national and international patents. He is the head of the Laboratory of Materials (LabMat/UFSC) since 1984. He led the creation of the postgraduate course in materials science and engineering (master's and doctorate) at UFSC (1994) and the creation of the undergraduate course in Materials Engineering UFSC (1997 to 1999).
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De Mello, J.D.B., Binder, C., Hammes, G. et al. Tribological behaviour of sintered iron based self-lubricating composites. Friction 5, 285–307 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40544-017-0186-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40544-017-0186-2