Tribological Properties Of Al2o3/Ws2 Oil-Based Composite Lubricant Utilized On Steel-Brass Frictional Couples

The tribological properties of Al2O3/WS2 composite lubricant were examined by using a ball-on-plate reciprocating sliding wear test configuration utilizing PAO(6) base fluid and oleic acid as surfactant. The morphology and chemical composition of the wear tracks were examined by using a scanning electron microscope and a x-ray energy dispersive spectrometer. It was found that the coefficient of friction was reduced by 46.6% after adding 0.5 wt% Al2O3/WS2 composite particles. The wear width and wear depth were reduced by 37% and 59.6% after adding 3 wt% Al2O3/WS2 composite particles. In orthogonal tests, it was proposed that the best tribological performance of Al2O3/WS2 composite lubricant could be achieved while using the normal load of 50 N, frequency of 2 Hz and temperature of 65 degrees C. Frequency could be considered as the primary factor affecting the tribological properties of compsite lubricant. The excellent lubricating performance could be attributed to the formation of WS2 tribo-film with low shearing resistance, and a portion of the Al2O3 particles were embedded by external force to prevent surface contact between the steel ball and brass plate.