Assessment of the lubrication ability of polymer materials in the fluid-free steel/steel tribosystem

The lubrication ability of various polymers and polymer composites fed into a steel/steel contact were assessed on a block-on-ring configuration under dry sliding conditions. The friction performance and lubricating mechanisms of the polymer materials were discussed. It was revealed that transfer of materials into the steel/steel contact and the friction behavior between steel and polymer play a dominant role on determining the friction performance of a steel/steel tribosystem. This work gains a new insight in the lubrication of steel/steel contacts and paves a route for developing polymer-based solid lubricants for such applications. •Novel concept for lubricating steel/steel contact by using polymer-based solid lubricants.•Assessment of the lubricating effect of various polymer materials.•Outstanding lubrication effect of graphite- and PTFE-based materials.•Elucidation of lubricating mechanisms.