Tribology Letters最新文献

{"title":"Liquid Lubrication for Space Mechanisms: The Emerging Role of Ionic Liquids","authors":"Miguel Jiménez Martínez,&nbsp;Francisco José Carrión Vilches,&nbsp;María Dolores Bermúdez Olivares","doi":"10.1007/s11249-026-02115-2","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11249-026-02115-2","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Lubrication in space mechanisms is governed by specific requirements arising from extreme conditions such as vacuum, radiation, thermal gradients, and the impossibility of in situ maintenance. This article firstly traces the development of space-grade lubricants, from early investigations with silicones and mineral oils to the current use of heritage lubricants such as perfluoropolyethers (PFPEs) and multiply alkylated cyclopentanes (MACs). While PFPEs have become the reference fluids thanks to their low vapor pressure and high thermal stability, increasing environmental restrictions on fluorinated compounds drive the search for sustainable alternatives. MACs are a modern alternative to PFPEs with improved boundary lubrication properties. However, these lubricants suffer from technical limitations such as dewettability and initial seizure-like high friction values. In this context, ionic liquids (ILs) have emerged as promising candidates due to their negligible volatility, high chemical, and thermal stability. The second part of the review compares the performance of these lubricant families, addressing challenges such as evaporation losses, tribochemical degradation, or atomic oxygen resistance, and concludes with recent advances on ILs as both primary lubricants and functional additives.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":806,"journal":{"name":"Tribology Letters","volume":"74 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2026-02-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s11249-026-02115-2.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147338929","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Environmental Impact on Crystallization of MoS2 Composites Under Pressure and Shear","authors":"Tomas F. Babuska,&nbsp;Alexander Mings,&nbsp;Steven R. Larson,&nbsp;Michael T. Dugger,&nbsp;John F. Curry","doi":"10.1007/s11249-026-02114-3","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11249-026-02114-3","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Molybdenum disulfide (MoS₂) coatings are a popular option for lubrication in aerospace and hermetic applications due to low friction/wear in dry environments. Infrequent exposure to humid environments or testing in terrestrial atmospheres can negatively impact the performance and structure of pure MoS₂ coatings, necessitating the use of dopants to counteract degradation. Composite MoS₂ coatings commonly utilize dopants like Ti, C, Cr, Ni, Sb₂O₃, Pb or Au, many of which have shown improved performance over un-doped MoS₂ coatings leading to the adoption of a variety of composite formulations across industrial applications. This work focuses on the widely used MoS₂-Sb₂O₃-Au coatings and their anomalously high friction behavior (µ &gt; 1) in humid environments at nominal contact pressures (~ 0.5 to 1 GPa) without coating failure. The origin of these high friction deviations is investigated using high-throughput tribological testing in environments with varying contact pressure and humidity. The Sb₂O₃ and Au composition is varied to understand the role of dopants in promoting high and low friction sliding interfaces. The results from this work suggest that increasing dopant concentration, like increasing water concentration or reducing contact pressure, is another source for inhibition of MoS₂ recrystallization in the sliding contact leading to abrasive, high friction interfaces.</p>","PeriodicalId":806,"journal":{"name":"Tribology Letters","volume":"74 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2026-02-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s11249-026-02114-3.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147338930","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Adhesive Contact of Rough Elastic Solids Based on an Incremental Model","authors":"Xuan-Ming Liang,&nbsp;Wei-Ke Yuan,&nbsp;Yue Ding,&nbsp;Gang-Feng Wang","doi":"10.1007/s11249-026-02119-y","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11249-026-02119-y","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>This paper advances a contact model for rough elastic solids in the presence of adhesion. Based on the JKR energy balance method and an incremental contact model, the adhesive contact of rough surfaces is modeled as a combination of loading in the absence of adhesion and unloading keeping a constant real contact area due to adhesion. The relations between the normal load, the real contact area, and the average interfacial separation are presented, and the contact processes of Gaussian rough surfaces are thoroughly discussed. For solids with large work of adhesion and relatively smooth surfaces, full stick might happen spontaneously. While for solids with lower work of adhesion and rougher surfaces, initial contact generates only limited contact area, and external compression is required to increase the contact area further. When a critical area is achieved, the contact area will increase spontaneously again even without compression. Once the separation shrinks to a critical value, instability will be triggered with a sharp increment of contact area and an abrupt fall in normal load. The current study presents a simple method to determine the bonding strength of macroscopic rough solids.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":806,"journal":{"name":"Tribology Letters","volume":"74 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2026-02-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147338561","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Correction to: Improved Process for Laser-Assisted, In Situ, Multi-Stage Wear Measurement of Simultaneously Wearing Counterparts","authors":"Paul Christian Sager,&nbsp;Birgit Schaedel,&nbsp;Roland Kral,&nbsp;Rainer Adelung","doi":"10.1007/s11249-025-02105-w","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11249-025-02105-w","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":806,"journal":{"name":"Tribology Letters","volume":"74 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2026-02-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s11249-025-02105-w.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147338091","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effect of Antiwear Additives on Preventing Fretting Damage in Grease Lubricated Oscillating Bearings","authors":"Yiming Han,&nbsp;Wenwen Ma,&nbsp;Junyang Dong,&nbsp;Enhui Zhang,&nbsp;Haichao Liu,&nbsp;Weimin Li,&nbsp;Weimin Liu","doi":"10.1007/s11249-026-02113-4","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11249-026-02113-4","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Fretting wear is a critical failure mechanism in grease-lubricated oscillating bearings, such as the pitch bearings in wind turbines, with lubrication starvation being a primary root cause. While tribochemical solutions remain underexplored, this study demonstrates the efficacy of antiwear (AW) additives in preventing fretting via tribofilm formation in oscillatory contacts. Experiments employed Falex (thrust bearings), optical ball-on-disc interferometry (in-situ film/onset observation), and SRV-V (pure sliding) testers across varying oscillation amplitudes and rolling/sliding conditions. Results reveal that four distinct AW additives significantly reduced wear through tribofilm generation. Performance was stroke-dependent: butylated triphenyl phosphorothionate (B-TPPT) and tris(4-methylphenyl) phosphate (TCP) exhibited superior fretting resistance, when A &lt; 1 (the value of A is the ratio of the oscillation amplitude to Hertzian contact size). High-sulfur additive (DDPE) was effective when A &lt; 1 but induced corrosion and tribofilm depletion when A &gt; 1. Crucially, this work establishes that conventional AW additives can form functional tribofilms under oscillatory conditions, despite lower energy input, thereby validating tribochemistry as a viable approach for fretting failure prevention in practical engineering systems.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":806,"journal":{"name":"Tribology Letters","volume":"74 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2026-02-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147338059","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effect of Green Fuels on Marine Engine Lubrication","authors":"Yu Jiang,&nbsp;Helena Ronkainen,&nbsp;Pekka Pohjanne,&nbsp;Elina Huttunen-Saarivirta","doi":"10.1007/s11249-026-02110-7","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11249-026-02110-7","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Hydrogen and ammonia have been considered as prominent fossil-free energy source candidates. While their combustion characteristics and emission profiles are well-documented, the implications for engine lubrication systems remain underexplored. This study aims to bridge this knowledge gap by investigating the effect of gaseous green fuels, specifically hydrogen and ammonia, and their influence on lubricants and the tribological performance of the lubricants. Applying a rapid and cost-effective lab-scale ageing process, the ageing effects of gas and gas admixtures were simulated and differentiated in a controlled environment. Detailed chemical, physical, and tribological analyses provide valuable insights into the different degradation outcomes of the lubricants with different exposing gases. The results revealed degradation of lubricant performance after ageing with the gases, due to changes in the lubricant chemistry and, in some cases, viscosity at 100 °C. In all cases, lubricant ageing introduced increase in friction coefficient between steel surfaces and impairment of the lubricant load-carrying capacity. The results obtained from this work will benefit the appropriate selection of lubricant alternatives for future engines utilizing green fuels and facilitate the development of more effective and durable lubrication solutions to support the broader adoption of hydrogen and ammonia as sustainable energy sources in internal combustion engines.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":806,"journal":{"name":"Tribology Letters","volume":"74 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2026-01-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s11249-026-02110-7.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146083205","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Prediction of Wear Morphology Evolution on Layered Surfaces in Ball-on-Disk Friction Testing","authors":"Yifan Li,&nbsp;Wenming Yang,&nbsp;Beiying Liu,&nbsp;Jiang Li,&nbsp;Shuaishuai Liang,&nbsp;Yiming Wang,&nbsp;Chunling Xu,&nbsp;Xin Wang,&nbsp;Haosheng Chen","doi":"10.1007/s11249-026-02111-6","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11249-026-02111-6","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Surface modification treatments are widely employed to enhance the performance of materials, often resulting in layered mechanical properties along the material’s height. The majority of research into friction and wear of materials relies on finite element methods (FEM). However, when accounting for topography of very thin surface layers, FEM encounters specific constraints. This paper introduces a novel approach for predicting the wear morphology evolution of layered materials subsequent to surface modification, specifically under ball-on-disk contact conditions. This methodology discretizes the surface into cells, considering the wear process of the cells from a microscopic perspective. The stress distribution within the contacting area is computed based on a balance of forces between the ball and the discretized surface, with the equivalent elastic modulus serving as a proxy for the substrate’s elastic modulus. Additionally, the model is made more realistic by incorporating the effects of boundary lubrication via a load-sharing approach and plastic deformation of surface asperities. Leveraging the Archard’s model, a wear equation for discrete surface cells is formulated to ascertain the wear volume. The availability of this method is substantiated by comparing simulation outcomes with experimental data for carburized 16Cr3, carburized followed by shot-peened 16Cr3, and carburized, shot peened, and subsequently coated 16Cr3 materials subjected to different temperature conditions, revealing a maximum discrepancy of 17.1% between predicted and experimental wear rates. This methodology enables swift predictions of material wear performance under varying conditions, thus aiding in layered material selection, design, and optimization processes.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":806,"journal":{"name":"Tribology Letters","volume":"74 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2026-01-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146083207","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Mimicking the Mouth in a Tribometer: Immobilizing a Lubricious Salivary Mucin for Frictional Measurements of Astringency Effects in Beverages and Foodstuffs","authors":"Ashley Roye,&nbsp;Kian Kun Yap,&nbsp;Abby Weston,&nbsp;Guy Carpenter,&nbsp;Sorin-Cristian Vladescu,&nbsp;Tom Reddyhoff,&nbsp;Samuele Tosatti,&nbsp;Nicholas D. Spencer","doi":"10.1007/s11249-026-02109-0","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11249-026-02109-0","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Astringency is a property of food and beverages that results largely from a friction-enhancing effect in the mouth. It can be conveniently assessed by tribological measurements, which have typically been carried out by investigating the effect of the astringent on the lubricating properties of whole-mouth saliva (WMS). Saliva is notoriously variable as a reagent, however, differing in its properties from person to person, day to day, and changing its behavior rapidly after removal from the mouth. We describe a far more convenient, reproducible, and potentially useful alternative to the use of WMS for ex vivo determination of the friction-enhancing effects of an astringent substance. Key to this development is the use of a nitrene-generating adhesion promoter to immobilize a crucial lubricating mucin, MUC5B, onto the tribopair—in this case silicone rubber (PDMS) and glass. Upon sliding in saline solution, this mucin-modified tribopair exhibits friction coefficients in the range of 0.002–0.006. Addition of 1 wt% potassium alum solution (a known astringent) leads to an order-of-magnitude increase in friction coefficient, while addition of samples of greater relevance to the food and beverage industry (grapeskin extract, red wine) shows comparable effects. Interestingly, the astringents’ effect on the MUC5B-modified surfaces appears to be essentially reversible upon washing with saline solution and continued sliding, suggesting that the effects of astringents in the mouth are not necessarily associated with removal of the MUC5B from the oral mucosa.</p><h3>Graphical Abstract</h3><div><figure><div><div><picture><source><img></source></picture></div></div></figure></div></div>","PeriodicalId":806,"journal":{"name":"Tribology Letters","volume":"74 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2026-01-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146083204","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A Matter of Shape: Contact Area Optimization in Soft Lubricated Impact","authors":"Joaquin Garcia-Suarez","doi":"10.1007/s11249-026-02108-1","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11249-026-02108-1","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>We study the fluid-mediated impact of a deformable axisymmetric object against a rigid substrate, focusing on how its shape influences contact formation. For low approach velocities and large Stokes numbers, we show that sharper profiles (e.g., conical) maximize contact at the center and avoid fluid entrapment, while blunter ones form central dimples that trap bubbles. We also find that the resulting pressure distributions in the presence of thin viscous films can be predicted remarkably well by classical (dry) contact mechanics. These findings reveal shape as a design parameter for contact optimization in soft matter, adhesion, and elastohydrodynamics. Finally, we also theorize the possibility of a mechanical equivalence between shape and approach velocity.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":806,"journal":{"name":"Tribology Letters","volume":"74 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2026-01-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s11249-026-02108-1.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146027446","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Comparative Tribological Study of Advanced Ceramics Based on Ti(C, N)–Si3N4–SiC and TaN–Si3N4 Under Dry Sliding Conditions","authors":"Samat K. Mukanov,&nbsp;Mikhail I. Petrzhik,&nbsp;Pavel A. Loginov,&nbsp;Nataliya V. Shvyndina,&nbsp;Evgeny I. Patsera,&nbsp;Evgeny A. Levashov","doi":"10.1007/s11249-026-02106-3","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11249-026-02106-3","url":null,"abstract":"<p>A comparative study under dry sliding conditions was conducted to evaluate the tribological properties of advanced heterophase ceramics based on Ti(C, N)–Si₃N₄–SiC and TaN–Si₃N₄, fabricated by self-propagating high-temperature synthesis (SHS) followed hot pressing (HP). For the heterophase TaN–Si₃N₄ ceramics, the effect of a 5 and 10 wt% content of the Y₃Al₅O₁₂ (YAG) sintering additive on the physical, mechanical and tribological properties was investigated. The influence of sliding speed and phase composition on the tribological behavior and wearing mechanisms was analyzed via tribological “pin-on-disk” tests against an Al₂O₃ counterbody. The predominant ceramic phases Ti(C, N) or TaN were found to exert the greatest influence on the friction and wear performance. The addition of YAG affected positively both mechanical and tribological properties. It was found that amorphous submicrofibers with a cross-sectional diameter of about 250 nm formed in the wear spot on the surface of TaN–Si₃N₄ at high sliding speeds, but this did not cause a noticeable decrease in coefficient of friction, that can be explained by the insufficient proportion of such fibers. Reducing the sliding speed in range 0.8–0.3 m/s leads to a change of dominant wearing mechanism. For Ti(C, N)–Si₃N₄–SiC the role of intergranular fracture, followed by oxidation of wear products and segregation of the tribooxide layer increases, whereas for TaN–Si₃N₄ a transition from the fatigue-oxidative to the abrasive wearing occurs. The obtained results demonstrate the high potential of heterophase ceramics based on transition metal nitrides and carbonitrides for dry sliding applications, due to their advantageous combination of mechanical strength and wear resistance, exceeding those of reference ceramics based on Al₂O₃ and B₄C.</p>","PeriodicalId":806,"journal":{"name":"Tribology Letters","volume":"74 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2026-01-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146027445","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}