REAL TIME AND IN-SITU HOLISTIC STUDY OF ENGINE TRIBOFILM FORMATION KINETICS

Completed

Energy Efficiency(Transport)
Not Energy Related

Basic and strategic applied research

ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY (Mechanical, Aeronautical and Manufacturing Engineering)

Not Cross-cutting

Dr A Morina
Mechanical Engineering
University of Leeds

Standard

EPSRC

01 February 2011

29 February 2012

13 months

£100,792

Mechanical engineering

Yorkshire & Humberside

NC : Engineering

Dr A Morina, Mechanical Engineering, University of Leeds

The current level of understanding of boundary/mixed lubricated tribological systems offers little predictive ability. Therefore, a detailed understanding of interface phenomena, especially of tribofilms' formation and removal kinetics, and their effect on friction and wear will significantly improve the process of designing new lubricants and coatings for ensuring increased fuel economy and high durability in internal combustion engines. Having the ability to characterise the tribofilm chemical composition in-contact will inevitably facilitate the studies on tribofilm formation and removal kinetics, far beyond what can be achieved currently.The proposed research project will use the X-ray absorption technique based on the latest development of the synchrotron source and the well established RAMAN spectroscopy to develop methodologies for in-situ and real time lubricated surface chemical characterisation in non-vacuum conditions. The equipment developed will be used for tribochemistry study in an engine relevant tribology system (cam/follower).While the friction of lubricated surfaces of the elastohydrodynamic interface is relatively well understood, the understanding of energy dissipation within the boundary layer regime, or at the solid-solid interface is less well understood. The project will be focused primarily in methodology and technique development for in-contact (within the rubbing contact), in-situ (within the tribotest) and in-lubro (uncleaned samples removed from the tribotest) analysis of tribochemistry processes which will be then applied to study the interface phenomena occurring in the Diamond like Carbon (DLC) coated cam/follower system when lubricated with organic friction modifier containing engine oils. The two main deliverables from this work are the development of protocols for tribology tests with in-contact and in-situ surface analysis and development of protocols for high resolution chemical in-lubro surface analysis using X-ray absorption spectroscopy. This work will enable development of a new approach for studying the tribochemistry processes occurring in sliding and rolling/sliding IC engine tribology contacts

03/11/10