Superlow Friction Behavior of Diamond-Like Carbon Coatings: Time and Speed Effects

Abstract

The friction behavior of a diamond-like carbon coating was studied in reciprocating sliding contact at speeds from 0.01 to 5 mm/s, in dry nitrogen. "Superlow" friction coefficients of 0.003 0.008 were obtained in continuous sliding at the higher speeds (>1 mm/s). However, friction coefficients rose to values typical of diamond-like carbon in dry and ambient air (0.01-0.1) at lower speeds (<0.5 mm/s) as well as in time-delayed, higher speed tests. The rise of the friction coefficients in both speed and time-delay tests was in good quantitative agreement with gas adsorption kinetics predicted by the Elovich equation for adsorption onto carbon. More generally, superlow friction could be sustained, suppressed, and recovered as a function of exposure time, demonstrating that duty cycle cannot be ignored when predicting performance of superlow friction coatings in devices.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Apr 23, 2001
Accession Number
ADA465025

Entities

People

  • A. Erdemir
  • I. L. Singer
  • J. A. Heimberg
  • K. J. Wahl

Organizations

  • United States Naval Research Laboratory

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Sensors

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Adsorption
  • Barometric Pressure
  • Chemical Vapor Deposition
  • Chemistry
  • Coatings
  • Coefficients
  • Data Sets
  • Diamonds
  • Environment
  • Equations
  • Friction
  • Gas Surface Interactions
  • Low Temperature
  • Military Research
  • Partial Pressure
  • Physics
  • Sliding Contacts

Readers

  • Mathematics or Statistics
  • Nanocomposite Materials Science
  • Tribology (the study of the boundary interaction between sliding surfaces, lubrication, wear and friction).