Projects / Programmes
Nanoscale engineering of the contact interfaces for green lubrication technology
| Code |
Science |
Field |
Subfield |
| 2.11.03 |
Engineering sciences and technologies |
Mechanical design |
Special development know-how |
| Code |
Science |
Field |
| T000 |
Technological sciences |
|
| Code |
Science |
Field |
| 2.03 |
Engineering and Technology |
Mechanical engineering |
Lubrication, friction, wear, tribology, diamond like carbon coatings, DLC, boundary film, environment pollution, emissions, green lubrication
Researchers (15)
Organisations (2)
Abstract
Proposed project focuses on design of novel and innovative high-performance green boundary film contacts that satisfy strict requirements on greenhouse emissions and hazardous materials, indispensably required in all future heavy loaded lubricated mechanical components.
Current emission legislation already severely affects industrial and automotive sectors, while restrictions that further increase with high pace will require abandoning key lubricant additives in next few coming years. However, new lubrication technology is not yet available. If efficient solutions will not be introduced on time, this may result in machinery performance deterioration and cause immense technical and economic consequences. This urgent need for replacement current technology has clearly set the development of green, high-performance lubrication to the uppermost priority in the field of tribology-related machine design, surface engineering and lubricant chemistry.
In this project, we will innovatively design efficient green contact interfaces by combining tailored diamond-like carbon (DLC) coatings that possess very low-wear and low-friction properties, with harmless organic additives (alcohols, fatty acids). This new green concept, recently initiated also in our group, is getting increased attention in academic and industrial research. To provide proof-of-concept for this project, we already possess supporting preliminary results, but further detailed evidence and understanding is indispensably missing for industrial implementation.
Several unique and ambitious tasks are required to achieve this goal that will be tackled in this project;
(1) The world’s first experiment will be designed, where a tribological tester will be implemented in the neutron beam facility for “in-situ” sub-nano scale neutron reflectometry investigation of boundary film adsorption under simultaneous tribological action. This unique experiment will non-disputably reveal the formation/removal and physical properties of the new green tribofilms directly under tribological conditions. What is more, this will be performed as a function of key-lubrication parameters i.e. temperature and additive concentration.
(2) Boundary film adsorption kinetics as a function of temperature and concentration, crucially required to understand mechanisms of interface bonding will be determined using quartz crystal microbalance (QCM).
(3) Verification under real-scale tribological contact conditions, which will give the ultimate answer on the lubrication performance and durability of green additive-DLC interfaces, will be performed.
(4) Tribofilms from above three complementary techniques will be subjected to detailed nano-scale surface chemical analyses (XPS, AES, FT-IR, ToF-SIMS), which will provide the last missing information to develop the new green lubrication technology.
These goals, together with the new “DLC-Green additive” concept, represent world novelties that have never been achieved so far. They will enable a step-change in green lubrication technology and contact engineering, with significant impact on environmental, economic and social aspects.
In particular, the project will provide two ultimate (a) scientific and (b) industrial-applied results, respectively:
(a) Non-disputable fundamental understanding of chemical nature, kinetics and formation mechanism of organic boundary films on DLC coatings, with in-situ nano and macro-scale validation.
(b) Effective nano-scale engineered contact design based on entirely green lubrication technology
This interdisciplinary and international project (4 countries) will be performed in collaboration of world-renown researchers from 5 institutions that have already collaborated together: two universities (University Ljubljana, Slovenia and Doshisha Kyoto University, Japan), two institutes (Jožef Stefan Institute, Slovenia and Paul Sherrer Institute, Switzerland) and one industrial corporation (Oerlikon Sorevi, France).
Significance for science
Several of the proposed solutions in the project are completely new and represent a scientific breakthrough in the field of boundary lubrication mechanisms with green additives and DLC coatings. To achieve this:
1. for the first time, a dedicated tribological tester will be installed and implemented into the neutron beam facility for the sub-nano scale resolution adsorption investigation under simultaneous tribological conditions.
2. Developing of such experiment will broaden the use of neutron reflectometry to a new area, i.e. surface engineering and tribology.
3. for the first time, a series of carefully designed in-situ tribological and neutron reflectometry experiments will be performed simultaneously to evaluate actual tribofilm formation and removal during “in-situ” tribological action.
4. for the first time, physical properties (density, thickness) of boundary adsorbed films will be revealed in-situ as a function of engineering key-relevant lubrication parameters, such as temperature and additive concentration.
5. Investigation will consists of fully organic additives and various DLC coatings, which will for the first time indisputably, validate the existence of novel innovative green lubrication technology.
6. The sub-nano scale physical properties of tribofilms from fully organic-based green additives on DLC coatings will be for the first time directly compared to state-of-the art additives (ZDDP) under realistic tribological conditions as a function of temperature and additive concentration.
7. By QCM, we will obtain complete adsorption isotherms for selected mixtures of green organic additives in base oils on various DLC coatings. These isotherms will reveal the nature and kinetics of adsorbed films as a function of temperature and concentration for various DLC coatings having wide range of tribochemical and surface energy properties and a variety of organic additives, which is another world’s first study of its kind.
8. Surface-sensitive characterization techniques will enable to reveal chemical nature of adsorbed tribolayers for various DLC coatings having wide range of tribochemical and surface energy properties and a variety of organic additives, which is also one of the first so systematic and comprehensive investigations, crucially important for optimising and tailoring the lubricant chemistry.
9. DLC coatings and organic additives will be studied in the full-range of macroscopic tribological parameters, validating the tribological efficiency of novel green lubrication concept and provide optimised contact interface design, which will represent a step-change in lubrication technology, if successful.
Significance for the country
Project is consistent with national and international legislation and strategies, international Protocols, etc. (see Introduction in Section 13), therefore the content itself is inherently and directly very important for economy and society.
Slovenia (and EU) has strong industrial activity with many companies that can directly benefit from introducing such advanced low-friction and low-wear contacts, especially with green technology – which will become a must in future. There are numerous industrial users of TINT knowledge in Slovenia, and even world-leading corporations (see Section 9.3), proving strong and direct impact of TINT research for economy and society, even if fundamental, as this project.
(1) Introducing low-friction DLC coatings to a broad range of mechanical systems, represents a potential for immense economic impact due to energy conservation.
(2) A documented example [Tribol.Int. 47 (2012)]: 30% of all fuel consumption in cars goes to overcome friction, namely 208.000.000.000 liters worldwide in 2009, corresponding to 250.000.000.000 Euro! When many industrial sectors are added - this is obvious enormous economic impact, even if just few % of friction is reduced.
(3) The same is true due to wear, since DLC coatings possess high wear-resistance. It was estimated that in 2010 only the UK market for surface engineering processes was worth about 12.400.000.000 Euro directly connected with wear protection [A. Matthews, et all. The UK Surface Engineering Industry to 2010, NASURF], which shows the immense potential for DLC.
(4) For example, Sulzer/Oerlikon Sorevi, the world-leading company in DLC technology, is greatly enlarging DLC applications to many new industries directly on the basis of knowledge and scientific findings obtained in many joint research projects, several together with TINT. Moreover, EU patent EP 2898237, which is currently transferred from TINT to Oerlikon is direct proof of research impact of prof. Kalin group on economy and society.
(5) In Slovenia there are some industrial sectors with many successful international companies. Often, the key materials for these products are various coatings, with DLC coatings having great impact and potential.
(6) This project (in line with Kyoto protocol and EC emission legislation) affects almost all industrial and automotive sectors. It is more than obvious that pollution with greenhouse emissions and hazardous materials has tremendous effect on global warming, climate changes, health and thus all societal systems.
(7) Friction reduction significantly improves the energy- and fuel-efficiency, and contributes to oil-reserve conservation, while wear reduction the raw materials, investment costs and maintenance. Moreover, this also reduces CO2 emissions. Thus, reducing friction and wear, and introducing cleaner, green lubrication technology is essential to achieve these goals and can tremendously affect the economy and society.
Most important scientific results
Interim report,
final report
Most important socioeconomically and culturally relevant results
Interim report,
final report
