Abstract
Owing to the significance of improving fuel economy, reducing emissions, and extending the durability of engine components, this study focused on the tribological performance of nano-additives. In this study, copper (Cu) and graphene (Gr) nanomaterials were dispersed in a fully formulated engine oil (5W-30) with different concentrations. The tribological trials were investigated under various speeds and loads, utilizing a reciprocating tribometer to mimic the ring/liner interfaces in the engine. The frictional surface morphologies were comprehensively analyzed using electron probe X-ray microanalysis (EPMA), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS), and three dimensional (3D) surface profilometry to explore the mechanisms responsible for improving the tribological performance of the frictional sliding parts in the engine. The tribological test results illustrated that lubrication by nano-additives reduced the wear rate (WR) and friction coefficient (COF) by 25%–30% and 26.5%–32.6%, respectively, as compared with 5W-30. The results showed that this is a promising approach for increasing the durability and lifespan of frictional sliding components and fuel economy in automobile engines.
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Acknowledgments
The authors would like to express their deep appreciations for the support by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 51875423) and the support from Hubei Key Laboratory of Advanced Technology for Automotive Components (Wuhan University of Technology). Mohamed Kamal Ahmed ALI acknowledges the financial support from Minia University during his post-doctoral study.
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Xianjun HOU. He received his Ph.D. degree from Wuhan University of Technology, China, in 2009. His current position is a professor in the School of Automotive Engineering, Wuhan University of Technology. He is also a staff member of the Hubei Key Laboratory of Advanced Technology for Automotive Components. He has published more than 30 papers tagged by SCI and EI in peer-reviewed journals. He was invited as a keynote or plenary speaker for more than 20 times on the international conferences/workshops. His research areas cover emission control technologies in automobile engines, new energy vehicles, nanomaterials, and computeraided design (CAD).
Mohamed A. A. ABDELKAREEM. He received the B.S. degree in automotive engineering from Minia University, Egypt, 2013, and received his M.S. degree majoring in vehicle engineering with focus on vehicle dynamics and vehicular energy harvesting, from Wuhan University of Technology, China, 2016–2019. Currently, he is acting as a teaching assistant in Automotive and Tractors Engineering Deptartment, Minia University. He has published more than 9 papers tagged by SCI and EI in peer-reviewed journals. His research interests include energy-harvesting, vehicle system dynamics, mathematical modeling of dynamic systems, analysis and design of vehicle suspension systems, heavy trucks dynamic behavior, regenerative energy shock absorber, and vibrations and control.
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Ali, M.K.A., Hou, X. & Abdelkareem, M.A.A. Anti-wear properties evaluation of frictional sliding interfaces in automobile engines lubricated by copper/graphene nanolubricants. Friction 8, 905–916 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40544-019-0308-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40544-019-0308-0