Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Low-Friction Characteristics of Nanostructured Surfaces on Silicon Carbide for Water-Lubricated Seals

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Tribology Letters Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This paper experimentally investigates the effects of induced nanostructures on the reduction of friction for mechanical seals. This study examines the properties of low-friction seals, whose surfaces were fabricated using a titanium–sapphire-based femtosecond laser in the authors’ previous study. Tribological experiments are carried out with a ring-on-disk apparatus under various loads, which are increased in a stepwise manner. Three surface patterns on seals are used for tribological investigations: a flat surface, a step-bearing surface, and a step-bearing surface combined with nanostructures. The experimental results show that the step-bearing surface with nanostructures had the smallest friction coefficient, which was about 20 % smaller than that of the step-bearing surface without nanostructures. Nanostructures on the SiC surface generate a thicker SiO2 film than that on SiC without nanostructures and prevent the direct contact of the relative moving surfaces of the ring and disk when the water film breaks down. This study also examines the surface damage of the specimens. Scanning electron microscopy images indicate that the nanostructures on the specimen are not damaged with a step-bearing surface under the hydrodynamic lubrication condition. Hence, employing nanostructures on the surfaces of mechanical seals has great potential to reduce the friction coefficient.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Tadigadapa, S., Najafi, N.: Reliability of micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS). Proc. SPIE 4558, 197–205 (2001)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Etsion, I., Halperin, G.: A laser surface textured hydrostatic mechanical seal. Tribol. Trans. 45, 430–434 (2002)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Etsion, I.: State of the art in laser surface texturing. J. Tribol-Trans. ASME 127, 248–253 (2005)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Brizmer, V., Zait, Y., Kligerman, Y., Etsion, I.: The effect of contact conditions and material properties on elastic-plastic spherical contact. J. Mech. Mater. Struct. 1, 865–879 (2006)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Etsion, I., Burstein, L.: A model for mechanical seals with regular micro-surface structure. Tribol. Trans. 39, 667–683 (1996)

    Google Scholar 

  6. Dumitru, G., Romano, V., Weber, H.P., Haefke, H., Gerbig, Y., Pflüger, E.: Laser microstructuring of steel surfaces for tribological applications. Appl. Phys. A-Mater. 70, 485–487 (2000)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Qi, L.T., Nishii, K., Namba, Y.: Regular subwavelength surface structures induced by femtosecond laser pulses on stainless steel. Opt. Lett. 34, 1846–1848 (2009)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Dumitru, G., Romano, V., Gerbig, Y., Weber, H.P., Haefke, H.: Femtosecond laser processing of nitride-based thin films to improve their tribological performance. Appl. Phys. A-Mater. 80, 283–287 (2005)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Chen, C.-Y., Chung, C.-J., Wu, B.-H., Li, W.-L., Chien, C.-W., Wu, P.-H., Cheng, C.-W.: Microstructure and lubricating property of ultra-fast laser pulse textured silicon carbide seals. Appl. Phys. A-Mater. 107, 345–350 (2012)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Tomizawa, H., Fischer, T.E.: Friction and wear of silicon nitride and silicon carbide in water—hydrodynamic lubrication at low sliding speed obtained by tribochemical wear. Tribol. Trans. 30, 41–46 (1987)

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Jordi, L., Iliev, C., Fischer, T.E.: Lubrication of silicon nitride and silicon carbide by water: running in, wear and operation of sliding bearings. Tribol. Lett. 17, 367–376 (2004)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Chen, M., Kato, K., Adachi, K.: The difference in running-in period and friction coefficient between self-mated Si3N4 and SiC under water lubrication. Tribol. Lett. 11, 23–28 (2001)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Jahanmir, S., Ozmen, Y., Ives, L.K.: Water lubrication of silicon nitride in sliding. Tribol. Lett. 17, 409–417 (2004)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Sugita, T., Ueda, K., Kanemura, Y.: Material removal mechanism of silicon nitride during rubbing in water. Wear 97, 1–8 (1984)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Phillips, B.S., Zabinski, J.S.: Ionic liquid lubrication effects on ceramics in a water environment. Tribol. Lett. 17, 533–541 (2004)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Wong, H.-C., Umehara, N., Kato, K.: Frictional characteristics of ceramics under water-lubricated conditions. Tribol. Lett. 5, 303–308 (1998)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Xu, J., Kato, K.: Formation of tribochemical layer of ceramics sliding in water and its role for low friction. Wear 245, 61–75 (2000)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Mizuhara, K., Hsu, S.M.: Tribochemistry of silicon-based ceramics under aqueous solution. Proc. EUROTRIB Conf. 3, 52–57 (1993)

    Google Scholar 

  19. Zhou, F., Yuan, Y., Wang, X., Wang, M.: Influence of nitrogen ion implantation fluences on surface structure and tribological properties of SiC ceramics in water-lubrication. Appl. Surf. Sci. 255, 5079–5087 (2009)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Xie, G., Liu, S., Guo, D., Wang, Q., Luo, J.: Investigation of the running-in process and friction coefficient under the lubrication of ionic liquid/water mixture. Appl. Surf. Sci. 255, 6408–6414 (2009)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Kawahara, K., Sawada, H., Mori, A.: Effect of surface periodic structures for bi-directional rotation on water lubrication properties of SiC. Tribol. Online 3, 122–126 (2008)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. Mourier, L., Mazuyer, D., Ninove, F.-P., Lubrecht, A.A.: Lubrication mechanisms with laser-surface-textured surfaces in elastohydrodynamic regime. Proc. Inst. Mech. Eng. J–J. Eng. Tribol. 224, 697–711 (2010)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. Mourier, L., Mazuyer, D., Lubrecht, A.A., Donnet, C., Audouard, E.: Action of a femtosecond laser generated micro-cavity passing through a circular EHL contact. Wear 264, 450–456 (2008)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  24. Wang, X., Kato, K., Adachi, K., Aizawa, K.: Loads carrying capacity map for the surface texture design of SiC thrust bearing sliding in water. Tribol. Int. 36, 189–197 (2003)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  25. Chen, M., Kato, K., Adachi, K.: The comparisons of sliding speed and normal load effect on friction coefficients of self-mated Si3N4 and SiC under water lubrication. Tribol. Int. 35, 129–135 (2002)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  26. Matsuda, M., Kato, K., Hashimoto, A.: Friction and wear properties of silicon carbide in water from different sources. Tribol. Lett. 43, 33–41 (2011)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

The authors gratefully acknowledge the financial supports provided by the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) South, and the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA), Taiwan, R.O.C. Also, the authors would like to thank the National Science Council of the Republic of China, Taiwan, for financially supporting this research under Contract No. NSC 100-2628-E-006-022-MY3. The authors also deeply appreciate Miss Pei-Chi Huang for her artwork assistances.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, 70101, Taiwan

    Chien-Yu Chen & Wang-Long Li

  2. Center for Micro/Nano Science and Technology, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, 70101, Taiwan

    Bo-Hsiung Wu & Chung-Jen Chung

  3. Laser Application Technology Center, ITRI South, Industrial Technology Research Institute, Tainan, 73445, Taiwan

    Chih-Wei Chien, Ping-Han Wu & Chung-Wei Cheng

Authors
  1. Chien-Yu Chen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Bo-Hsiung Wu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Chung-Jen Chung
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Wang-Long Li
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Chih-Wei Chien
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Ping-Han Wu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Chung-Wei Cheng
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Wang-Long Li.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Chen, CY., Wu, BH., Chung, CJ. et al. Low-Friction Characteristics of Nanostructured Surfaces on Silicon Carbide for Water-Lubricated Seals. Tribol Lett 51, 127–133 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11249-013-0153-7

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11249-013-0153-7

Keywords

Search

Navigation