International Journal of Mechanical

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ISSN 0976 6359(Online), Volume 5, Issue 11, November (2014), pp. 120-129 IAEME
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A REVIEW ON EFFECT OF ADDITION OF NANO

PARTICLES ON TRIBOLOGICAL PROPERTIES OF
LUBRICANTS
Sangram J. Patil1,

D. P. Patil2,

A. P. Shrotri3,

V P. Patil4

PG Student, Mechanical Engineering Department, P.V.P.I.T. Budhgaon, India-416304

2, 3
Associate Professor, Mechanical Engineering Department, P.V.P.I.T. Budhgaon,
India-416304
4
Assistant Professor, Mechanical Engineering Department, P.V.P.I.T. Budhgaon, India-416304

ABSTRACT
Wear is the progressive loss of the material from the operating surface of machine due to
relative motion between surfaces. The successful design of machine elements depends upon
essentially on the understanding tribological principles like wear and friction. The lubricating oils are
the blood of the machines operation, and the service life and economic effectiveness of the machine
are relative to the quality, performance and reasonable use of the oils. Nanoparticles put into
lubricating oils can improve the properties of extreme pressure, anti-wear and friction reducing.
Efficiency and service life of the machine were also improved. In recent years, many scientific
researchers have dedicated themselves to studying lubricating oil additives as an important project.
In the present review paper, comparative study of tribological properties like anti-wear and friction
reducing properties of nano- lubrication oils are studied. In the studied papers nano- lubrication oils
are made by adding different nanoparticles like Cu, CuO, TiO2, CeO2 to different lubricating base
oils/engine oils in varying proportions.
Keywords: Terms & Definitions.
Tribology is the science and technology of interacting surfaces in relative motion and related
subjects and practices.
Lubrication is the process, or technique employed to reduce wear of one or both surfaces in
close proximity, and moving relative to each other, by interposing a substance called lubricant

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ISSN 0976 6359(Online), Volume 5, Issue 11, November (2014), pp. 120-129 IAEME

between the surfaces to carry or to help carry the load (pressure generated) between the
opposing surfaces.
Lubricant is a substance introduced to reduce friction between moving surfaces. Types of
lubricants are liquids, semi-liquids, solids or gases or any combination of solids, liquids, and
gases.
Nanomaterials or nanocrystalline materials are material possessing grain sizes of the order of
a billionth ( 10 -9 ) of a meter .
Nanofluids are a new class of fluids engineered by dispersing nanometer-sized materials like
nanoparticles, nanofibers, nanotubes, nanowires, nanorods, nanosheet, or droplets, in base
fluids. In other words, nanofluids are nanoscale colloidal suspensions containing condensed
nanomaterials.
Nanolubrication is defined as the means to achieve control of adhesion, friction, stiction, and
wear at a scale where properties at nanoscale control the outcome. The lubrication of surfaces
at nanoscale will have to be accomplished by tenacious, long-lasting surface films.
Tribometer (tribotester) is the general name given to a machine or device used to perform
tests and simulations of wear, friction and lubrication which are the subject of the study of
tribology. Several arrangements of tribometers are Four ball, Pin on disc, Block on ring
Bouncing ball, Schwingungs Reibungs und Verschleisstest (SRV) test machine, Twin disc

1. INTRODUCTION
The subject Tribology generally deals with technology of lubrication, friction, and wears
prevention of surfaces having relative motion under load. The word tribology was first reported in a
landmark report by Jost (1966). The word is derived from the Greek word tribos meaning rubbing, so
the literal translation would be ``the science of rubbing.'' Its popular English language equivalent is
friction and wear or lubrication science, alternatively used [1]. Nanotechnology is regarded as the
most revolutionary technology of the 21st century. There have been many investigations on the
tribological properties of lubricants with different nanoparticles added. Typically lubricants contain
90% base oil (most often petroleum fractions, called mineral oils) and less than 10% additives. Oils
is a general term used to cover all liquid lubricants, whether they are mineral oils, natural oils,
synthetics, emulsions, or even process fluids. Greases are oils, which contain a thickening agent to
make them semi-solid. Greases always contain three basic active ingredients; a base mineral or
synthetic oil, additives and thickener. For thickeners, metal soaps clays are used. The contrast in
lubricating properties between mineral and fatty oils exists also in the case of a pure mineral grease
like vaseline and an animal fat such as tallow, the latter possessing in a far greater degree the
property of greasiness. A large number of lubricating greases are made by incorporating or
emulsifying animal and vegetable fats with soap and water; also by thickening mineral lubricating
oils with soap. A large number of lubricating greases are made by incorporating or emulsifying
animal and vegetable fats with soap and water; also by thickening mineral lubricating oils with soap.
Except in special cases, greases should not be used for quick-running journals, shafts or spindles, on
account of the high frictional resistance which they offer to motion. Solid lubrication is simply the
lubrication of two surfaces in moving contact by means of solid materials interposed between them.
The vast majority of solid lubricant applications are met by only three materials: graphite,
molybdenum disulphide, and PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene). Oil mist is an atomized amount of oil
carried or suspended in a volume of pressurized dry air. The oil mist, actually a ratio of one volume
of oil suspended or carried in 200,000 volumes of clean, dry air, moves in a piping system (header).
Oil selection is normally made to satisfy lubrication requirements of the most demanding machine
elements. While ISO viscosity grades up to 1,000 and higher can be used, many mist systems employ
a mineral gear oil in the ISO VG68 to VG460 viscosity range (68 to 460 cst at 40C) with
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anticorrosion, antiwear, and extreme pressure properties. The use of nanoparticles as lubricants is a
recent idea. Fig.1 shows nanoparticals acts as a third body between two metal bodies.

Fig.1: Nanoparticals acts as a third body between two metal bodies [2].
Nanoparticles can also act as nano-bearings on the rubbing surfaces. The above mentioned
deposition mechanisms take place only under mixed and boundary lubrication. Results show that
they deposit on the rubbing surface and improve the tribological properties of the base oil, displaying
good friction and wear reduction characteristics even at concentrations. The main advantage of using
nanolubricants is that they are relatively insensitive to temperature and that tribochemical reactions
are limited, compared with traditional additives. Another advantage of the addition of nanoparticles
in lubricant oils is that they cannot be retained by the filters.
A large number of papers have reported that the addition of nanoparticles to lubricant is
effective in reducing wear and friction. The friction-reduction and anti-wear behaviors are dependent
on the characteristics of nanoparticles, such as size, shape, and concentration. A nanometer (nm) is
smaller a dimension than a m. and is a billionth (10 -9) of a meter. A nanocrystalline material has
grains on the order of 1-100 nm. The size of nanoparticles is mostly in the range of 2120 nm [3].
One significant property that makes nanoparticles different from other materials is the fact that
nanomaterials have a massive surface area. Because of their very high surface area, nanoparticles are
extremely reactive compared to its larger form. Preparation of nanofluids is the first key step in
experimental studies with nanofluids. Nanofluids are not simply liquid-solid mixtures. Some special
requirements are essential, e.g., even and stable suspension, durable suspension, negligible
agglomeration of particles, no chemical change of the fluid, etc. Commonly used nanoparticles now
a days are Oxide Ceramics- Al2O3, CuO, Metal Carbides Sic, Nitrides AlN, SiN, Metals Al,
Cu, Nonmetals Graphite, Carbon nanotubes, Layered Al+Al2O3, Cu+C, PCM-S/S,
Functionalised nanoparticles. Nanofluids are produced by dispersing nanometer-scale solid particles
into base liquids such as water, ethylene glycol (EG), oils, etc. In the synthesis of nanofluids,
agglomeration is a major problem. There are mainly two techniques used to produce nanofluids, the
single-step and the two-step method. The single-step direct evaporation approach was developed by
Akoh et al. (1978) and is called the VEROS (Vacuum Evaporation onto a Running Oil Substrate)
technique. The original idea of this method was to produce nanoparticles, but it is difficult to
subsequently separate the particles from the fluids to produce dry nanoparticles. Generally,
ultrasonic equipment is used to intensively disperse the particles and reduce the agglomeration of
particles. For example, Eastman et al. (1997), Lee et al. (1999), and Wang et al. (1999) used this
method to produce Al2O3 nanofluids. Also, Murshed et al. (2005) prepared TiO2 suspension in
water using the two-step method. Other nanoparticles reported in the literature are gold (Au), silver
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ISSN 0976 6359(Online), Volume 5, Issue 11, November (2014), pp. 120-129 IAEME

(Ag), silica and carbon nanotubes. As compared to the single-step method, the two-step technique
works well for oxide nanoparticles, while it is less successful with metallic particles. Hwant et al.
(2007) prepared various nanofluids (nanoparticle: MWCNT, fullerence, copper oxide, and silicon
dioxide; base fluid: DI water, ethylene glycol, and oil) and examined their stability using UV-vis
spectral analysis. They claimed that the stability of nanofluid is strongly affected by the
characteristics of the suspended particle and base fluids such as the particle morphology, the
chemical structure of the particles and base fluid. Furthermore, addition of surfactant can improve
the stability of the suspensions. In general, methods such as change of pH value, addition of
dispersant, and ultrasonic vibration aim at changing the surface properties of suspended particles and
suppressing formation of particle clusters to obtain stable suspensions. However, the addition of
dispersants can affect the heat transfer performance of the nanofluids, especially at high temperature
[4].
Friction and wear are caused by complicated and multiplex sets of microscopic interactions
between surfaces that are in mechanical contact and slide against each other. These interactions are
the result of the materials, the geometrical and topographical characteristics of the surfaces, and the
overall conditions under which the surfaces are made to slide against each other, e.g., loading,
temperature, atmosphere, type of contact, etc. All mechanical, physical, chemical, and geometrical
aspects of the surface contact and of the surrounding atmosphere affect the surface interactions and
thereby also the tribological characteristics of the system. Therefore, friction and wear are not simply
materials parameters available in handbooks; they are unique characteristics of the tribological
system in which they are measured. Conclusively, because tribological properties are not materials
but system parameters, tribotesting has to be an integral part of both the process of developing
tribomaterials and in the selection of materials for applications involving friction and wear. Wear test
is carried out to predict the wear performance and to investigate the wear mechanism. From a
material point of view, the test is performed to evaluate the wear property of a material so as to
determine whether the material is adequate for a specific wear application. From a surface
engineering point of view, wear test is carried out to evaluate the potential of using a certain surface
engineering technology to reduce wear for a specific application, and to investigate the effect of
treatment conditions (processing parameters) on the wear performance, so that optimised surface
treatment conditions can be realised. Wear test is performed in three levels, namely, (a) laboratory
test, (b) component simulation test, & (c) in-service test. For convenient purpose, the material or
component being investigated is normally referred to as specimen, the other termed as counterface.
Three most widely used laboratory wear testers a) An abrasive wear tester b) A rolling sliding wear
tester c) A pin-on-disc wear tester.
2. LITERATURE REVIEW
Very little work has been reported on nanoparticles used in tribology for friction and wear
reduction. A brief review of some selected references on various types with application of
nanoparticals is presented below.
Wu et al. [5] examined tribological properties of two lubricating oils, an API-SF engine oil
(SAE30LB51153) and base oil (SAE30LB51163-11) with CuO, TiO2 and Nano-Diamond
nanoparticals used as additives. Glycol was used as the solvent, for CuO and TiO2 nanoparticles in
order to prevent the nanoparticles from oxidizing with air. Each lubricant comprised 90% standard
oil and 10% additive solution (lubricants modified with CuO and TiO2 were composed of 9.9%
glycol and 0.1% nanoparticles). Friction and wear experiments were performed by using Plint-TE77
reciprocating sliding friction tribotester as shown in Fig. 2. Figure shown below is the schematic for
his effort made by the researcher for his experimentation.

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ISSN 0976 6359(Online), Volume 5, Issue 11, November (2014), pp. 120-129 IAEME

Fig.2: Reciprocating sliding Friction tribotester

Plint-TE77 comprised an upper moving specimen, which came into contact with a lower
specimen that was fixed in a temperature-controlled oil bath. The friction coefficient and contact
resistance between the rubbing specimens was then measured. For the friction-reduction test, the
upper specimen was an iron plate (9mml2mml.5 mm) coated with 0.1mm chromium. The mean
sliding speed of this specimen was 120 mm/s under the load of 200 N. For the anti-wear test, the
upper specimen was a chromium-coated steel ball of 6mm diameter. The mean sliding
speed was 30 mm/s under the load of 100N for the API-SF engine oil. However, if the same load of
100N was used for the Base oil, the specimen would be damaged due to excessive wear. Therefore,
the tested load was reduced to be 25N for the Base oil. The fixed specimen was FC25 gray casting
iron (38mm58mm4 mm). Its hardness was smaller than HB 270. Each lubricant was tested under
the temperature ranging from 40 to 160 C at the increment of 1 C/min during the total time span of
120 min.
Two experimental conditions of different sliding speeds and loads were adopted to examine
the effects of nanoparticles on friction-reduction and anti-wear performances, respectively.
Nanoparticles including CuO, TiO2, and Nano-Diamond used as additives in lubricating oils exhibit
good friction reduction and anti-wear behavior, especially for CuO. For the friction-reduction test,
when CuO was added to the SF oil and the Base oil, the friction coefficients were reduced by 18.4
and 5.8%, respectively, as compared to the oils without nanoparticles. For the anti-wear test, when
CuO was added to the SF oil and the Base oil, the worn scar depths were decreased by 16.7 and
78.8%, respectively, as compared to the oils without nanoparticles. The anti-wear properties
examined according to the worn scar depth is shown in Table 1. After the 2 h reciprocating sliding
test. The worn scar depths of the fixed specimens lubricated by the oil containing nanoparticles are
smaller than that of the oils without nanoparticles. When CuO and Nano-Diamond were used as
additives for the SF oil, the worn scar depths were reduced by 16.7 and 43.3%, respectively, as
compared to the SF oil without nanoparticles. When CuO and Nano-Diamond were used as additives
for the Base oil, the worn scar depths were reduced by 78.8 and 62.1%, respectively, as compared to
the Base oil without nanoparticles.
He-long et al. [6] studied wear and friction properties of surface modified Cu nanoparticles
used as an additives in 50CC. The effect of temperature on tribological properties of Cu
nanoparticles was investigated on a four-ball tester. The morphologies, typical element distribution
and chemical states of the worn surfaces were characterized by SEM, EDS and XPS, respectively. In
order to further investigate the tribological mechanism of Cu nanoparticles, a nano-indentation tester
was utilized to measure the micro mechanical properties of the worn surface. The results indicate
that the higher the oil temperature applied, the better the tribological properties of Cu nanoparticles
are. It can be inferred that a thin copper protective film with lower elastic modulus and hardness is
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ISSN 0976 6359(Online), Volume 5, Issue 11, November (2014), pp. 120-129 IAEME

formed on the worn surface, which results in the good tribological performances of Cu nanoparticles,
especially when the oil temperature is higher.
Yu et al. [7] investigated Cu nanoparticles dispersed into SN 650 oil to improve the
lubricating properties of the oil. SEM, XPS and nano-indentation tester were utilized to investigate
the morphology, chemical state and nano-mechanical properties of the film, respectively. Results
show that the friction-reducing and anti-wear properties of SN 650 oil have been improved by adding
Cu nanoparticles.
Choi et al. [8] investigated the friction coefficient for raw oil and nano-oil mixed with copper
nanoparticles by using a disc-on-disc tribotester between mixed and full-film lubrication regime. The
friction surfaces are investigated by using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive
spectroscopy (EDS), and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The results show that the average friction
coefficient for nano-oil with 25 nm and 60 nm copper nanoparticles under a load of 3000 N is
decreased by 44% and 39%, respectively.
Unlu [9] investigated, tribological properties like friction coefficient and wear losses of
bearing-journal samples of alloy CuSn10 bronze, CuZn30 brass, ZnAl zamac, AlCuMg2 duralumine,
and SnPbCuSb white metal specimens manufactured from metals like Copper, aluminum, zinc and
tinlead were determined by wearing on radial journal bearing wear test rig designed specially for
this purpose. He has used SAE 1050 steel shaft as counter abrader. Experiments were carried out in
every 30 min for a total of 150 min by using radial journal bearing wear test rig as shown in Fig.3.
Figure shown below is the schematic for his effort made by the researcher for his experimentation.

Fig. 3: Radial journal bearing wear test rig

In this study, a special bearing wear test apparatus has been designed to examine the wearing
behaviour of bearing material and the shaft together. Therefore, it is possible to investigate different
bearing and shaft materials. The system was formed by a weight applied by a rigid bar, a steel bar
connected to the bearing from a distance and a comparator. Friction coefficient was determined from
the friction force formed along the rotating direction of the bearing and from the movement of the
steel bar connected to the bearing
The specimens were worn by radial journal bearing wear test rig under lubricated condition,
by using SAE 90 gear oil. Results shows that highest friction coefficient and bearing temperature
occurred in CuSn10 and CuZn30 bearings, whereas the lowest friction coefficient and bearing
weight loss occurred in other ZnAl, AlCuMg2 and SnPbCuSb bearings. The highest journal weight
loss occurred at CuZn30 and AlCuMg2 bearings. The highest bearing wear rate occurred in CuSn10
and CuZn30 bearings, and the lowest bearing wear rate occurred in ZnAl bearing. Also the
mechanical properties of CuSn10, CuZn30 and AlCuMg2 bearing materials were better than those of
ZnAl, and SnPbCuSb bearing materials.
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Cai-xiang et al. [10] enhanced the tribological properties of lubricating oil (500SN Base Oil)
containing CeO2 and TiO2 nanoparticles with suitable surfactants such as Tween-20, Tween-60,
Span-20 and Sodium sodecylbenzenesulfonate. In the experiment 40 kinds of lubricating oils were
prepared, according to different weight fractions (0.2%, 0.4%, 0.6%, 0.8%, 1.0%, respectively) and
different weight proportions of CeO2 and TiO2 nanoparticles ( 0:1, 1:1, 1:2, 1:3, 1:4, 3:1, 2:1, 1:0,
respectively). The morphology and size of CeO2 and TiO2 nanoparticles were examined with a
transmission electron microscope (TEM). The tribological properties of the oils were tested using an
MRS-1J four-ball tribotester. The research results show that when the proportion by weight of CeO2
nanoparticles to TiO2 nanoparticles is 1:3, and the total weight fraction is 0.6%, the lubricating oil
has optimal anti-wear and friction reducing properties. The addition of CeO2 nanoparticles reduces
the required amount of TiO2 nanoparticles.
Rameshkumar et al. [11] investigated the Mechanical and Tribological properties of plain
bearing alloys used especially in internal combustion engines. Pin material selected as shaft material
AISI D3 (high carbon high chromium steel), having a diameter of 5.041 mm and hardness range 720
BHN. The sliding friction and wear properties of aluminium-tin alloy against high carbon high
chromium steel were investigated at different normal loads as (29.43 N, 33.35 N and 36.25 N). Tests
were carried by using Pin-on-disc equipment in oil lubricated conditions with a sliding speed of 1
m/s.
Prior to experimentation, the circulating engine oil 20w40 was heated to temperature of 800C
using heater. The frictional behavior and wear property of aluminium-tin alloy were studied by
means of pin-on-disk tribometer. The weight loss of the specimen was measured and wear and
friction characteristics were calculated with respect to time, depth of wear track, sliding speed and
bearing load. Friction coefficient & wear of aluminium-based alloy bearings is less than that of pure
aluminium bearing.
To determine the wear mechanism, the worn surfaces of the samples were examined using
Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). The optimum wear reduction was obtained at different
normal loads and at same sliding speed.
Thottackkad et al. [12] performed the analysis of coconut oil as a lubricant to find its
tribological behavior using a pin-on-disc tribometer. The pin material used was aluminium alloy (Al
98%, Si 2%) having its diameter 8mm and length 27mm and the disc was of steel with a hardness of
60 HRC. The sliding distance was taken as 1000m and track diameter of the disc was 90mm, with
speed of rotation of the disc was varied from 1.4 to 5.6 m/s. Copper oxide nanoparticles are added to
the oil on weight-percentage basis such as 0.1%, 0.2%, etc., and the variation of its frictionreduction and antiwear properties are analysed. At an optimum concentration of nanoparticles, the
coefficient of friction and the specific wear rate are found to be the lowest.
It is seen that the coefficient of friction decreases by increasing concentration of
nanoparticles in the lubricant, shows the lowest value for a concentration of 0.34% and then
increases. This reveals the presence of an optimum concentration level at which the coefficient of
friction is a minimum, for a given speed and normal load. Wear scar obtained in the presence of nano
oil is smoother compared to that with bare coconut oil. When the level of nanoparticles increases
above the optimum level, friction coefficient and wear rate are seen to increase.
Ingole et al. [13] presented the effects of titanium dioxide additives on the lubricated friction
and wear behavior of self-mated E52100 bearing steel using a reciprocating pin-on-disk apparatus
(TR-281M-M6). It creates a bidirectional sliding motion between samples while a loading
mechanism applies known load on the test samples. The lower sample is stationary such as flat
surface or a cut sample of an engine liner and upper sample is movable and usually a spherical ball.
The friction and wear characteristics were examined at a constant applied load and rate of
reciprocation. All concentrations of P25 (mixture of rutile and anatase phases and TiO2 with only

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ISSN 0976 6359(Online), Volume 5, Issue 11, November (2014), pp. 120-129 IAEME

anatase phase) increased the coefficient of friction, but the addition of TiO2 nanoparticles reduced
the variability and stabilized the frictional behavior.
Baskar & Sriram [14] investigated the friction and wear behavior of journal bearing
material using pin on disc wear tester with three different lubricating oils i.e. synthetic lubricating oil
(SAE20W40), chemically modified rapeseed oil (CMRO), chemically modified rapeseed oil with
Nano CuO (40 nm).
In experiment pins of 8 mm diameter and 30 mm length of brass having hardness of 70 HRB
and surface roughness of 1.1 Ra used and rotating disc of 165 mm and 8 mm thick of EN31
hardened steel having hardness 60HRC & ground to surface roughness 1.6 Ra used. Wear tests were
carried out at maximum load of 200 N and sliding speeds of 2 10 m/s as per ASTM. Behavior of
the journal bearing material has changed according to the sliding conditions and lubricating oils. The
coefficient of friction, wear of the three different lubricants SAE20W40, chemically modified
rapeseed oil (CMRO) and chemically modified rapeseed oil with Nano CuO (CMRO with Nano
CuO) are shown in Figs. 9 & 10. The journal bearing material has a lower friction coefficient for
CMRO with Nano CuO than other two oils. Higher wear of journal bearing material was observed in
SAE 20W40 and CMRO. Worn surfaces of the journal bearing material with three lubricating oils
were examined using scanning electron microscope (SEM) and wear mechanisms were discussed.
3. CONCLUSIONS
As lubrication oils are popularly used to reduce friction, prevent wear and carry loads needed
to keep the machines operating at top efficiency. In the above literatures studied show that the
mechanisms of friction-reduction and anti-wear of nanoparticles in lubricant have been reported as
colloidal effect, rolling effect, protective film, and third body. Nanoparticles put into lubricating oils
can improve the properties of extreme pressure, anti-wear and friction reducing. Efficiency and
service life of the machine were also improved.
Majority of literatures studied show use of Cu & CuO nanoparticles used in different base
oils. It is found that the nano-oil mixed with copper nanoparticles has a lower friction coefficient
and less wear on the friction surface, indicating that copper nanoparticles improve the lubrication
properties of raw oil. Also it is observed that nanoparticles have shown good friction and wear
reduction characteristics even at concentrations below 2 wt%. However, in some cases, nanoparticles
exhibit a deleterious effect, increasing either friction or wear.
4. FUTURE SCOPE
In the further research work comparative study of tribological behavior can be made for
different types of base oil and base oils with different nanoparticles as an additives with varying
quantities for wear testing of high value engine part materials like shaft and journal bearing, piston
and cylinder, gear meshing. In the study of tribological behavior of nanooils, different types of
tribometers like Pin on Disk, Four ball, Block on ring, Bouncing ball & Twin disk can be used by
selecting proper material at each end. Readings for coefficient friction, wear vs time can be noted
down for different disk speed, different load conditions. Optimum values from the above
experiments can be used in actual practice.
In the proposed work of experimental study of tribological behavior of lubrication Oil/engine
oil, with the different types and in different proportions of nanoparticles used as additives, for the
materials used in Crank shaft and Journal bearing of Maruti make model. Block diagram for Pin on
Disk Tribometer supplied by DUCOM Instruments, Banglore is shown below in Fig.4.

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ISSN 0976 6359(Online), Volume 5, Issue 11, November (2014), pp. 120-129 IAEME

Fig.4: Block Diagram of Wear & Friction Monitor TR20LE [15]

This testing equipment is a wear and friction monitor tester used to determine the wear and
coefficient of friction of metals under sliding contact. The tester is operated with a pin (size 8 or
12 mm, Length 32 mm) positioned perpendicular to the flat circular disc (165mm, thickness 8mm).
The equipment is designed to apply loads up to 200 N and speeds starting from 200 to 2000 rpm. In
this apparatus testing of friction and wear characteristics of sliding pin and rotating disc is done for
varied normal load, rotational speed & wear track diameter conditions. This testing equipment
consists of following different parts a) Machine made of assemblies like Spindle assembly, Loading
lever assembly, Sliding plate assembly etc., all mounted on a Base plate over structure. Many items
like AC Motor, Drive & all electrical items are fitted inside structure and sides of it are covered with
panels. b) Electronic Controller is placed near the machine and all machine operations are controlled
by it. It is connected to machine through a set of cables, control cable and signal input cable. All
switche are mounted on front panel controller and has five displays like Wear, Frictional force,
Temperature, Speed and Time. c) Data Acquisition Systems to transmit signals from sensors after
processing to PC and to display it on software screen. d) Sensors to measure the test parameters on
this machine. Different sensors used are LVDT (Linear Variable Differential Transduser), Frictional
force transducer, Proximity sensor. d) Cables include Control signal cable to carry power from
controller to machine panel. Signal input cable to send signals of frictional force and LVDT sensors
to controller, Power input cable to supply 230V input supply to machine. Data acquisition cables
connected between controller and PC and to send signals received from sensors to PC.
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