Tribological properties of diamond-like carbon coatings in lubricated automotive applications

Abstract

High-performance coatings are currently used in automotive racing engine applications and are being considered for commercial fleet applications. Because crankcase lubricants were designed for steel surfaces, the change to these new materials may result in different boundary lubrication mechanisms. The aim of the present study is to investigate the friction and wear properties of a series of commercial coatings using simple component-blend lubricants as well as commercial lubricant formulations. The tribological testing revealed that some of the commercial coatings possess advantageous friction and wear properties when compared with steel. The study also stresses that in many cases the use of these coatings results in increasing wear on the steel counterpart.

Keywords

diamond-like carbon coatings formulated lubricants wear friction

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