Tribology Letters

, Volume 37, Issue 2, pp 343–352 | Cite as

Ultralow Friction of Mesogenic Fluid Mixtures in Tribological Reciprocating Systems

Original Paper
First Online:
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Accepted:

Abstract

Tribological systems that are lubricated with mesogenic fluids may exhibit ultralow friction coefficients. This effect, which has not yet been well examined, has been reproducibly observed in a reciprocating friction system after a certain running-in period in different mixtures with two reference lubricants. Aim of the present work was to study the tribological behavior of different mesogenic fluids as pure lubricants and in mixtures with standard lubrication oils. Surface analysis was performed to correlate the tribological characteristics with surface features. A basic approach is described to explain the several effects, which lead to the observed results. A better understanding of the tribological behavior is essential for the development of efficient production methods and for the qualification of mesogenic lubricants for possible future applications.

Keywords

Stick–slip Steel slide bearing Thermotropic liquid crystals Ultralow hydrodynamic friction Wear Lubricant additive Friction mechanisms 

Abbreviations

LCs

Liquid crystals

MF

Mesogenic fluid

COF

Coefficient of friction

SEM

Scanning electron microscope

EP

Extreme pressure

WLI

White light vertical scanning interferometry

DLC

Diamond-like carbon

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Notes

Acknowledgments

We gratefully acknowledge R. Eidenschink (Nematel GmbH Co. KG, Mainz, Germany) for very helpful discussions and for supplying the MF compounds.

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Copyright information

© Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2009

Authors and Affiliations

  1. 1.Fraunhofer-Institut für Werkstoffmechanik IWMFreiburgGermany

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