Research on Friction and Wear Behavior of Solid Films

摘要

A basic research program to determine fundamental phenomena involved in lubrication by graphite and other lamellar solids is described. Lamellar cleavage experiments in known environments of air, ultra-high vacuum, water vapor, and oxygen are reported. A theoretical calculation of the interlamellar binding energy of the ideal graphite lattice is described. A stress-etch process is reported for graphite, in dry oxygen, water vapor, and air environments, which significantly lowers the cleavage energy and provides a basis for understanding lubrication phenomena. Muscovite is employed as a model of materials possessing high interlamellar binding energy in UHV and exhibiting a stress-etch effect in air. A theoretical analysis of the binding energy and surface charge effects for mica is correlated with experimental results. Cleavage studies in vacuum and known gas environments are reported and correlated with the easy cleavage and stress-etch processes for a series of lamellar minerals. A general hypothesis of lamellar solid lubrication is thereby proposed on the basis of interlamellar binding forces. A correlation of this general hypothesis is made with experimental results for the lamellar materials: graphite, molybdenite, pyrophyllite, muscovite, margarite, talc, and phlogopite. (Author)