Friction Mechanism of Nano-MMT/In Composite on Steel Ball Higher Pair

Abstract

In order to obtain the tribological properties of nano-montmorillonite (MMT) / In lubricant additive on steel ball tribo-pair. 1:1 MMT/In composite nano-powders were prepared by nano-MMT and nano-In modified with coupling agent KH550, and the nano-MMT/In lubricating oil dispersion system was prepared by 150N base opl containing 3 mass fraction of nano-MMT/In composite powders, and then took the dispersion effect by laser particle size analyzer, TEM and IR. The anti-wear and friction-reducing behaviors of that lubricating oil dispersion system were observed on the MMU-10G abrasive-wear tester with 45#steel tribo-pair, the morphology and the element of the worn surfaces were analyzed by SEM and EDX. The results showed that the grain size of the modified nano-MMT/In was smaller than the one without modification, and the modified nano-MMT/In had the good dispersion in the system; compare with the one in base oil system, the average friction coefficient of sample of 45 # steel tribo-pair in nano-MMT/In additive lubricating oil system had declined by 22.54 %, and the wear spot diameter had declined by 12.62 %; The surface of sample after friction had created the self-repairing film that contain the characteristic element of MMT and In, that phenomenon was caused by the interaction of nano-MMT and nano-In.