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Effect of WS2 Addition on Tribological Behavior of Aluminum at Room and Elevated Temperatures

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Abstract

The objective of this study is to evaluate the role of WS2-based two-dimensional material as solid lubricant additive to aluminum to reduce the friction. Al-2 vol% WS2 was consolidated by spark plasma sintering into a 99% dense composite. Tribological behavior of Al-2 vol% WS2 and pure Al was evaluated at room temperature and 200 °C using the ball-on-disk method in dry sliding wear conditions. Wear mechanism was studied using wear surface and sub-surface via electron microscopy and focused ion beam milling. Al-2 vol% WS2 showed the lowest coefficient of friction value of 0.55 at 200 °C as compared to 0.82 that of pure aluminum. The wear rate of Al-2 vol% WS2 showed 54 and 29% improvement at room temperature and 200 °C, respectively, as compared to pure Al. The improved tribological properties of Al-2 vol% WS2 are attributed to a tribofilm formation due to the breaking of the weak Van der Waals forces that hold the S–W–S structure. Due to shear forces, a portion of the tribofilm is transferred on the counter surface providing lubrication properties resulting in a stable and low COF.

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Acknowledgement

Authors thank Advanced Materials Engineering Research Institute at Florida International University for providing characterization facilities.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Plasma Forming Laboratory, Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, Florida International University, Miami, FL, 33174, USA

    Sara Rengifo, Cheng Zhang, Benjamin Boesl & Arvind Agarwal

  2. School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Oklahoma State University, 218 Engineering North, Stillwater, OK, 74078, USA

    Sandip Harimkar

Authors
  1. Sara Rengifo
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  2. Cheng Zhang
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  3. Sandip Harimkar
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  4. Benjamin Boesl
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  5. Arvind Agarwal
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Correspondence to Arvind Agarwal.

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Rengifo, S., Zhang, C., Harimkar, S. et al. Effect of WS2 Addition on Tribological Behavior of Aluminum at Room and Elevated Temperatures. Tribol Lett 65, 76 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11249-017-0856-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11249-017-0856-2

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