Effect of Metallurgy on the Formation of Tribofilms and Wear Prevention

Different mechanical components in a vehicle can be made from different steel alloys with various surface treatments or coatings. Lubricant technology is needed to prevent wear and control friction on all of these different surfaces. Phosphorus compounds are the key additives that are used to control wear and they do this by forming tribofilms on surfaces. It has been shown that different operating conditions (pressures and sliding conditions) can influence the formation of tribofilms formed by different anti-wear additives. The effect of surface metallurgy and morphology on tribofilm formation is described in this paper. Our results show that additive technology can form proper tribofilms on various surfaces and the right combination of additives can be found for current and future surfaces.