Investigation of the Lubrication Performance of γ-Al2O3/ZnO Hybrid Nanofluids for Titanium Alloy

Abstract

Titanium alloys are difficult to machine and have poor tribological properties. This paper investigates the lubricating performance of γ-Al2O3/ZnO hybrid nanofluids for Ti-6Al-4V. Pure and hybrid nanofluids are compared, and the effects of γ-Al2O3/ZnO ratios are studied. The results show that γ-Al2O3/ZnO hybrid nanofluids outperform pure nanofluids in terms of lower friction coefficients and better surface quality. Moreover, the hybrid nanofluid with a mass ratio of Al2O3 to ZnO of 2:1 demonstrates the best lubrication performance with a reduced friction coefficient of up to 22.1% compared to the base solution, resulting in improved surface quality. Al2O3 nanoparticles can adhere to the surface of ZnO nanoparticles and work as a coating, which further enhances the lubrication performance of the water-based nanofluid.