Tribological characterization of a bearing coated with UHMWPE/GNPs nanocomposite coating

ABSTRACT

Polymer nanocomposite coatings with low friction and high wear resistance are being developed to protect aluminium surfaces against wear and tear during dry and boundary lubrication. In the present study, pure and graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) reinforced ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) nanocomposite coatings are deposited on aluminium thrust bearings. Each bearing makes an ROD contact with a metallic disc counterface to simulate the contact configuration in an actual bearing. A set of tests involving pure and reinforced UHMWPE coatings under dry and liquid contact lubrication is conducted. The wear test results reveal that UHMWPE/1 wt-% GNPs performs better than the reference sample significantly. It reduces the friction and wear of aluminium both in the dry and boundary lubrication conditions at different conditions. The 1 wt-% GNPs reinforcement increases the load-bearing capacity of UHMWPE by 440% in the presence of base oil.

KEYWORDS:

• Coating
• bearings
• polymers
• boundary lubrication
• wear testing

Acknowledgement

The authors appreciate the support of King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) through the KACST Annual Program (KAP) Unit at King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals (KFUPM) for providing fund for this research through project No. ART 34-47.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology [grant number ART 34-47].