Investigations on the influence of graphite filler on dry sliding wear and abrasive wear behaviour of carbon fabric reinforced epoxy composites

In this experimental study, the dry sliding wear and two-body abrasive wear behaviour of graphite filled carbon fabric reinforced epoxy composites were investigated. Carbon fabric reinforced epoxy composite was used as a reference material. Sliding wear experiments were conducted using a pin-on-disc wear tester under dry contact condition. Mass loss was determined as a function of sliding velocity for loads of 25, 50, 75, and 100 N at a constant sliding distance of 6000 m. Two-body abrasive wear experiments were performed under multi-pass condition using silicon carbide (SiC) of 150 and 320 grit abrasive papers. The effects of abrading distance and different loads have been studied. Abrasive wear volume and specific wear rate as a function of applied normal load and abrading distance were also determined. The results show that in dry sliding wear situations, for increased load and sliding velocity, higher wear loss was recorded. The excellent wear characteristics were obtained with carbon-epoxy containing graphite as filler. Especially, 10 wt.% of graphite in carbon-epoxy gave a low wear rate. A graphite surface film formed on the counterface was confirmed to be effective in improving the wear characteristics of graphite filled carbon-epoxy composites. In case of two-body abrasive wear, the wear volume increases with increasing load/abrading distance. Experimental results showed the type of counterface (hardened steel disc and SiC paper) material greatly influences the wear behaviour of the composites. Wear mechanisms of the composites were investigated using scanning electron microscopy. Wear of carbon-epoxy composite was found to be mainly due to a microcracking and fiber fracture mechanisms. It was found that the microcracking mechanism had been caused by progressive surface damage. Further, it was also noticed that carbon-epoxy composite wear is reduced to a greater extent by addition of the graphite filler, in which wear was dominated by microplowing/microcutting mechanisms instead of microcracking.

Nature of corrosive and abrasive wear in ball mill grinding

Laboratory results of marked-ball wear tests are used to discuss the relative significance of corrosive and abrasive wear in wet grinding. The electrochemical mechanism was investigated by correlating the corrosive wear with the corrosion current obtained from polarization curves under abrasion. Slurry rheology governs the manner in which ground slurries coat grinding balls, thereby influencing not only the grinding efficiency but also abrasive wear. The effects of percent solids and a grinding aid are illustrated.

Lubricated Tribology of a Eutectic Aluminium-Silicon Alloy in the Ultra-Mild Wear and Mild Wear Regimes for Long Sliding Times

Aluminium-silicon alloy, an important material used for the construction of internal combustion engines, exhibit pressure induced distinct regimes of wear and friction; ultra-mild and mild. In this work the alloy is slid lubricated against a spherical steel pin at contact pressures characteristic of the two test regimes, at a very low sliding velocity. In both cases, the friction is controlled at the initial stages of sliding by the abrasion of the steel pin by the protruding silicon particles of the disc. The generation of nascent steel chips helps to breakdown the additive in the oil by a cationic exchange that yields chemical products of benefits to the tribology. The friction is initially controlled by abrasion, but the chemical products gain increasing importance in controlling friction with sliding time. After long times, depending on contact pressure, the chemical products determine sliding friction exclusively. In this paper, a host of mechanical and spectroscopic techniques are used to identify and characterize mechanical damage and chemical changes. Although the basic dissipation mechanisms are the same in the two regimes, the matrix remains practically unworn in the low-pressure ultra-mild wear regime. In the higher pressure regime at long sliding times a small but finite wear rate prevails. Incipient plasticity in the subsurface controls the mechanism of wear.

Dry sliding wear of Al alloy 2024-Al203 particle metal matrix composites

In the present investigation, Al 2024-15vol.%Al2O3 particulate (average size, 18 mu m) composites were fabricated using the liquid metallurgy route. The wear and friction characteristics of Al alloy 2024 and Al 2024-15vol.%Al2O3p, composite in the as-extruded and peak-aged conditions were studied using a pin-on-disc machine (with a steel disc as the counterface material). The worn surfaces, subsurfaces and the debris were analysed in a scanning electron microscope.The performance of the composite in the as-extruded condition is slightly inferior to that of the unreinforced alloy. However, in the T6 condition, although the wear rates of two materials are initially comparable, the unreinforced alloy seizes while the composite does not within the tested range employed. In the as-extruded condition, the presence of Al2O3 particles is not particularly beneficial as they fracture and result in extensive localized cracking and removal of material from the surface. In the peak-aged condition, however, while the unreinforced alloy exhibits severe plastic deformation and undergoes seizure, there is no significant change in the mechanism in the case of the composite. Except in the case of the peak-aged unreinforced alloy, worn surfaces of all other materials show the presence of an iron-rich layer.

Mechanism of seizure of aluminium-silicon alloys dry sliding against steel

A steel ball was slid on aluminium-silicon alloys at different temperatures. After the coefficient of friction had been measured, the surface shear stress was deconvoluted using a two-term model of friction. The ratio of surface shear stress to bulk hardness was calculated as a function of temperature, silicon content and alloying additions. These results are qualitatively similar to those recorded for pre-seizure specimens slid against an En24 disc in a pin-on-disc machine. This similarity, when viewed in the context of the phenomenon of bulk shear, provides a model for seizure of these alloys.

Siding wear of materials

We review here our understanding of the sliding wear phenomenon: some generalities have emerged in the last 50 years of research, these can now be taken as established principles and be used for practical design and maintenance. Other issues related for example to nano-wear, the role of microstructure on wear or mechanism of crack nucleation require renewed efforts, for greater predictivity in wear. The review is based on published literature with examples principally drawn from our work on sliding wear of metals and ceramics.

Modelling the entrainment and motion of particles in a gap: Application to abrasive wear

The microscale abrasion or ball-cratering test is being increasingly applied to a wide range of bulk materials and coatings. The response of materials to this test depends critically on the nature of the motion of the abrasive particles in the contact zone: whether they roll and produce multiple indentations in the coating, or slide causing grooving abrasion. Similar phenomena also occur when hard contaminant particles enter a lubricated contact. This paper presents simple quantitative two-dimensional models which describe two aspects of the interaction between a hard abrasive particle and two sliding surfaces. The first model treats the conditions under which a spherical abrasive particle of size d can be entrained into the gap between a rotating sphere of radius R and a plane surface. These conditions are determined by the coefficients of friction between the particle and the sphere, and the particle and the plane, denoted by μs and μp respectively. This model predicts that the values of (μs + μp) and 2μs should both exceed √2d/R for the particles to be entrained into the contact. If either is less than this value, the particle will slide against the sphere and never enter the contact. The second model describes the mechanisms of abrasive wear in a contact when an idealized rhombus-sectioned prismatic particle is located between two parallel plane surfaces separated by a certain distance, which can represent either the thickness of a fluid film or the spacing due to the presence of other particles. It is shown that both the ratio of particle size to the separation of the surfaces and the ratio of the hardnesses of the two surfaces have important influences on the particle motion and hence on the mechanism of the resulting abrasive wear. Results from this model are compared with experimental observations, and the model is shown to lead to realistic predictions. © IMechE 2003.

Transitions in the erosive wear behavior of a glass-ceramic

The mechanisms of material removal were investigated during the erosive wear of a glass-ceramic. The effects of erodent particle shape, velocity and angle were studied. Single impacts and incremental erosion tests were performed, to study the development of surface features and to elucidate the mechanisms of material removal. It was found that transitions in mechanism occurred which depended on the particle shape, impact velocity and impact angle. The mechanisms of material removal, for erosion by silica sand, changed from fine scale fracture and plastic processes below a transition point to large-scale cracking of the surface above. Spherical glass beads caused wear dominated by fatigue, with a very strong dependence of wear rate on the impact conditions. This work indicates that laboratory erosion testing of glass-ceramic and other brittle materials should reflect the conditions present in practice, and that account must be taken of possible changes in wear mechanisms.

Influence of particle properties on the erosive wear of sintered boron carbide

Sintered boron carbide is very hard, and can be an attractive material for wear-resistant components in critical applications. Previous studies of the erosion of less hard ceramics have shown that their wear resistance depends on the nature of the abrasive particles. Erosion tests were performed on a sintered boron carbide ceramic with silica, alumina and silicon carbide erodents. The different erodents caused different mechanisms of erosion, either by lateral cracking or small-scale chipping; the relative values of the hardness of the erodent and the target governed the operative mechanism. The small-scale chipping mechanism led to erosion rates typically an order of magnitude lower than the lateral fracture mechanism. The velocity exponents for erosion in the systems tested were similar to those seen in other work, except that measured with the 125 to 150 μm silica erodent. With this erodent the exponent was initially high, then decreased sharply with increasing velocity and became negative. It was proposed that this was due to deformation and fragmentation of the erodent particles. In the erosion testing of ceramics, the operative erosion mechanism is important. Care must be taken to ensure that the same mechanism is observed in laboratory testing as that which would be seen under service conditions, where the most common erodent is silica.

Dry sliding wear behavior of magnesium alloys

Dry sliding tests were performed on as-cast magnesium alloys Mg97Zn1Y2 and AZ91 using a pin-on-disc configuration. Coefficients of friction and wear rates were measured within a load range of 20-380 and 20-240 N at a sliding velocity of 0.785 m/s. X-ray differactometer, scanning electron microscopy, tensile testing machine were used to characterize the microstructures and mechanical properties of Mg97Zn1Y2 alloy and AZ91 alloy. Worn surface morphologies of Mg97Zn1Y2 and AZ91 were examined using scanning electron microscopy.

Autonomic cardiovascular dysregulation as a potential mechanism underlying depression and coronary artery bypass grafting surgery outcomes.

BACKGROUND: Coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) is often used to treat patients with significant coronary heart disease (CHD). To date, multiple longitudinal and cross-sectional studies have examined the association between depression and CABG outcomes. Although this relationship is well established, the mechanism underlying this relationship remains unclear. The purpose of this study was twofold. First, we compared three markers of autonomic nervous system (ANS) function in four groups of patients: 1) Patients with coronary heart disease and depression (CHD/Dep), 2) Patients without CHD but with depression (NonCHD/Dep), 3) Patients with CHD but without depression (CHD/NonDep), and 4) Patients without CHD and depression (NonCHD/NonDep). Second, we investigated the impact of depression and autonomic nervous system activity on CABG outcomes. METHODS: Patients were screened to determine whether they met some of the study's inclusion or exclusion criteria. ANS function (i.e., heart rate, heart rate variability, and plasma norepinephrine levels) were measured. Chi-square and one-way analysis of variance were performed to evaluate group differences across demographic, medical variables, and indicators of ANS function. Logistic regression and multiple regression analyses were used to assess impact of depression and autonomic nervous system activity on CABG outcomes. RESULTS: The results of the study provide some support to suggest that depressed patients with CHD have greater ANS dysregulation compared to those with only CHD or depression. Furthermore, independent predictors of in-hospital length of stay and non-routine discharge included having a diagnosis of depression and CHD, elevated heart rate, and low heart rate variability. CONCLUSIONS: The current study presents evidence to support the hypothesis that ANS dysregulation might be one of the underlying mechanisms that links depression to cardiovascular CABG surgery outcomes. Thus, future studies should focus on developing and testing interventions that targets modifying ANS dysregulation, which may lead to improved patient outcomes.

An investigation on sliding wear behavior of PVD coatings

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Advanced ceramics: Evaluation of the mechanism of stock removal and ground surface quality

The aim of this work is to evaluate the mechanism of stock removal and the ground surface quality of advanced ceramics machined by a surface grinding process using diamond grinding wheels. The analysis of the grinding performance was done regarding the cutting surface wear behavior of the grinding wheel for ceramic workpieces. The ground surface was evaluated using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). As a result it can be said that the mechanism of material removal in the grinding of ceramic is largely one of brittle fracture. The increase of the hmax can reduce the tangential force required by the process. Although, it results in an increase in the surface damage, reducing the mechanical properties of the ground component.

The role of membranous urethral afferent autonomic innervation in the continence mechanism after nerve sparing radical prostatectomy: a clinical and prospective study

Purpose: We evaluated the somatic and autonomic innervation of the pelvic floor and rhabdosphincter before and after nerve sparing radical retropubic prostatectomy using neurophysiological tests and correlated findings with clinical parameters and urinary continence. Materials and Methods: From February 2003 to October 2005, 46 patients with prostate cancer were enrolled in a controlled, prospective study. Patients were evaluated before and 6 months after nerve sparing radical retropubic prostatectomy using the UCLA-PCI urinary function domain and neurophysiological tests, including somatosensory evoked potential, and the pudendo-urethral, pudendo-anal and urethro-anal reflexes. Clinical parameters and urinary continence were correlated with afferent and efferent innervation of the membranous urethra and pelvic floor. We used strict criteria to define urinary continence as complete dryness with no leakage at all, not requiring any pads or diapers and with a UCLA-PCI score of 500. Patients with a sporadic drop of leakage, requiring up to 1 pad daily, were defined as having occasional urinary leakage. Results: Two patients were excluded from study due to urethral stricture postoperatively. We evaluated 44 patients within 6 months after surgery. The pudendo-anal and pudendo-urethral reflexes were unchanged postoperatively (p = 0.93 and 0.09, respectively), demonstrating that afferent and efferent pudendal innervation to this pelvic region was not affected by the surgery. Autonomic afferent denervation of the membranous urethral mucosa was found in 34 patients (77.3%), as demonstrated by a postoperative increase in the urethro-anal reflex sensory threshold and urethro-anal reflex latency (p <0.001 and 0.0007, respectively). Six of the 44 patients used pads. One patient with more severe leakage required 3 pads daily and 23 showed urinary leakage, including 5 who needed 1 pad per day and 18 who did not wear pads. Afferent autonomic denervation at the membranous urethral mucosa was found in 91.7% of patients with urinary leakage. Of 10 patients with preserved urethro-anal reflex latency 80% were continent. Conclusions: Sensory and motor pudendal innervation to this specific pelvic region did not change after nerve sparing radical retropubic prostatectomy. Significant autonomic afferent denervation of the membranous urethral mucosa was present in most patients postoperatively. Impaired membranous urethral sensitivity seemed to be associated with urinary incontinence, particularly in patients with occasional urinary leakage. Damage to the afferent autonomic innervation may have a role in the continence mechanism after nerve sparing radical retropubic prostatectomy.