Reactive Boundary Layers in Metallic Rolling Contacts
The running-in phase of mechanical systems is critical from a
tribological standpoint, because microcracks, a cause of material failure, can
appear during this phase of heightened friction and wear. The ultimate goal of
this current work is to transfer the running-in phase into the mechanical
finishing process through the pre-conditioning of novel, high toughness steel
bearings and compare these to conventionally used steels. This has been achieved
through the generation of tribo-reactive protective films. Determination of the
presence of reactive tribofilms was achieved via SEM-EDX with Element-Mapping.
Tribofilm-protected samples were then subjected to slip-rolling endurance
testing (10,000,000 cycles, approximately 19 days) to determine any changes in
friction behaviour or wear performance.