High-performance tribo-components through combination of materials on the macroscale

The tribological performance of four different tribocomposite assemblies was comparatively investigated by sliding against a steel ring on a block-on-ring tribometer in a wide range of surface pressure (p) and sliding velocity (v), and the experimental results were described by a model. The results show that the friction coefficient in the stationary friction phase and the specific wear rate of the composite assemblies tend to follow the superior partner. Surprisingly, it is also found that the pv-load limit can be shifted to the higher pv-limit of the better partner. The results of the present work clearly show that the macroscopic combination of tribocomposites can be an excellent approach for the fabrication of tribological components, e.g. bearings, with long lifetime, high energy and eco-efficiency.