The measurement of lubricant film thickness under elastohydrodynamic (EHL) contact conditions is well established and a variety of experimental techniques have been used, the most accurate and widely used of which is optical interferometry. This lends itself particularly well to the study of the all-important mixed and boundary regimes, since the films are of the same order of magnitude as the wavelength of light. The vast majority of these studies have been made under pure rolling conditions, since the necessary optical coatings preclude the use of high sliding speeds within the critical thin fluid film regime. These conditions are however precisely those required to activate ZDDPs and other antiwear additives, making accurate ‘in situ’ optical studies of additive film build-up difficult. A modification to the existing MTM (mini-traction machine) has allowed steel on steel contacts to be run under high sliding speed conditions, thereby allowing antiwear additive reactions to occur. By optically measuring the film thickness of these reaction films as they form, in tandem with friction measurements, a full picture of both friction and reaction film build-up can be made. Using a novel LED (light emitting diode) light source and accurate calibration procedures, the film thickness of the whole contact area can be measured down to a few nanometres. This paper presents a study of the behaviour of standard additive combinations under realistic operating conditions and describes the rig in detail.
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ASME/STLE 2007 International Joint Tribology Conference
October 22–24, 2007
San Diego, California, USA
Conference Sponsors:
- Tribology Division
ISBN:
0-7918-4810-8
PROCEEDINGS PAPER
A Study of Antiwear Additive Film Build Up Using the MTM (Mini-Traction Machine)
Matthew Smeeth,
Matthew Smeeth
PCS Instruments, London, UK
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Hugh A. Spikes
Hugh A. Spikes
Imperial College London, London, UK
Search for other works by this author on:
Matthew Smeeth
PCS Instruments, London, UK
Clive Hamer
PCS Instruments, London, UK
Hugh A. Spikes
Imperial College London, London, UK
Paper No:
IJTC2007-44249, pp. 101-103; 3 pages
Published Online:
March 23, 2009
Citation
Smeeth, M, Hamer, C, & Spikes, HA. "A Study of Antiwear Additive Film Build Up Using the MTM (Mini-Traction Machine)." Proceedings of the ASME/STLE 2007 International Joint Tribology Conference. ASME/STLE 2007 International Joint Tribology Conference, Parts A and B. San Diego, California, USA. October 22–24, 2007. pp. 101-103. ASME. https://doi.org/10.1115/IJTC2007-44249
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