Overview
More than 20% of global energy consumption is lost to friction in tribological contacts such as those found in bearings and gears. Reducing friction through improved lubrication is therefore one of the most generic and productive ways to tackle fuel consumption and carbon emissions.
Tom’s talk covers the development of two novel and complementary ways of reducing bearing friction, specifically: surface modification through laser texturing and lubricant engineering using pressure-sensitive oil additives. Both involve a journey from discovering anomalous macro-scale friction behaviour to understanding micro-scale mechanisms to optimisation and practical application. This is challenging because the action occurs within tiny contacts buried within the transient interfaces between fast-moving components. The progress Tom reports on is achieved through a combination of tribological testing, in situ measurements, visualisation, and numerical modelling, and is supported by industrial and academic collaboration.
First, Tom delves into research on laser surface texturing to enhance tribological performance, which has been investigated since the 1960s but has largely eluded practical application due to its subtle complexity. This is overcome by untangling the interactions of texture features with lubricant chemistry, hydrodynamics and contact mechanics.
The focus of the talk shifts from the surface into the lubricating oil film, reporting on the discovery of a new type of friction-reducing oil additive – one whose molecules assemble like Lego to form transient, low-friction structures within the fluid film. These pressure-induced, hydrogen-bonded polymorphs locally modify fluid properties, giving the lubricant the simultaneous durability/efficiency benefits of both a high and a low viscosity oil. Moreover, optimisation of this mechanism gives rise to macroscale superlubricity, whereby bearing friction effectively vanishes (pretty slick).
Together, these approaches are shown to be cost-effective, energy-saving solutions that are effective over a range of operating conditions and applicable to new and existing machines without major redesign.
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