Experimental Investigation on Synergetic Effects of Micro Grooves and WSe2 in Sliding Contact

Abstract

Improving tribological behaviors for dry contacts has always been a hot study topic, since liquid lubricants are not applicable for certain vital scenarios, including space travel equipment. This study describes the synergetic effects of micro groove texture and WSe2 flakes as solid lubricants on friction reduction in dry sliding contact. The reciprocating sliding tests were performed under the dry and WSe2 flake-filled conditions while varying the texture geometric feathers and WSe2 flake sizes. According to the experimental results, the coefficient of friction (CoF) could be reduced by 80% due to the combination of micro grooves and WSe2 flakes compared to the non-textured cases. The optimal width (b = 130 µm) of the groove was identified under both dry and WSe2 flake-filled conditions. The SEM observation suggested that the WSe2 flakes have different sizes. The influence of the WSe2 granularity on reducing friction was discussed based on the results. This study provides a novel solution for reducing friction, which suggests that there is a synergetic effect and optimal parameters for friction reduction with micro grooves and WSe2 flakes.