Effect of load on the tribological properties of Si3N4-based composite with N-GQDs
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to improve the mechanical and tribological properties of Si3N4 ceramics and to make the application of Si3N4 ceramics as tribological materials more extensive.
Design/methodology/approach
Si3N4-based composite ceramics (SN-2L) containing nitrogen-doped graphene quantum dots (N-GQDs) were prepared by hot press sintering process through adding 2 Wt.% nanolignin as precursor to the Si3N4 matrix, and the dry friction and wear behaviors of Si3N4-based composite against TC4 disc were performed at the different loads by using pin-on-disc tester.
Findings
The friction coefficients and wear rates of SN-2L composite against TC4 were significantly lower than those of the single-phase Si3N4 against TC4 at the load range from 15 to 45 N. At higher load of 45 N, SN-2L/TC4 pair presented the lowest friction coefficient of 0.25, and the wear rates of the pins and discs were as low as 1.76 × 10−6 and 2.59 × 10−4mm3/N·m. The low friction and wear behavior could be attributed to the detachment of N-GQDs from the ceramic matrix to the worn surface at the load of 30 N or higher, and then an effective lubricating film containing N-GQDs, SiO2, TiO2 and Al2SiO5 formed in the worn surface. While, at the same test condition, the friction coefficient of the single-phase Si3N4 against TC4 was at a range from 0.45 to 0.58. The spalling and cracking morphology formed on the worn surface of single-phase Si3N4, and the wear mechanism was mainly dominated by adhesive and abrasive wear.
Originality/value
Overall, a high-performance green ceramic composite was prepared, and the composite had a good potential for application in engineering tribology fields (such as aerospace bearings).
Peer review
The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/ILT-05-2024-0161/
Keywords
Acknowledgements
Funding: The authors acknowledge the financial supports by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 52175178), National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 22378252) and Natural Science Foundation of Shaanxi Province (Grant No. 2018JM5056).
Declaration of interest: No conflict of interest exists in the submission of this manuscript, and manuscript was approved by all authors for publication. I would like to declare on behalf of my coauthors that the work described was original research that has not been published previously, and not under consideration for publication elsewhere. All the authors listed have approved the manuscript that is enclosed.
Citation
Chen, W., Ma, Y., Liu, X., Xu, E., Yang, W., Jia, J., Lou, R., Zhu, C., Wu, C. and Zhao, Z. (2024), "Effect of load on the tribological properties of Si3N4-based composite with N-GQDs", Industrial Lubrication and Tribology, Vol. ahead-of-print No. ahead-of-print. https://doi.org/10.1108/ILT-05-2024-0161
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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