Studies on friction behaviour of aluminium AA4032 alloy during forging using ring compression test

In metal forming, friction has a negative effect on the deformation load & energy requirements, homogeneity of metal flow, quality of formed surfaces, etc.; however, its effect can be reduced through the use of proper lubricants. Mostly, in industrial applications, selection of proper lubricant for specific material is challenging and quantification of magnitude of friction at diework piece interface is essential. Hence, for metallic alloys, a realistic friction factor is needed to be known and used at the diework piece interface for better control of deformation process. Thus, this research, generally, aims at experimental investigation of the friction behavior of aluminum AA4032 alloy and selection of suitable lubricant for its effective processing using ring compression test and finite element (FE) simulations. Meanwhile, the effect of metal surface conditions and different lubricants namely palm oil, grease, emulsion oil and dry conditions on the friction behaviour has been evaluated. A commercial FEM software, DEFORM 3D, is used to analyze the flow of metal, determine the geometry changes of the specimen and generate friction calibration curves. The results revealed that the nature of metal surface and lubricating conditions have significantly affected the metal flow pattern, deformation load requirement, induced effective stress and strain, and geometry of the metal. The friction factor at die-work piece is determined for different lubricating conditions. Among lubricants employed, palm oil is found to be suitable and effective for industrial processing of aluminium AA4032 alloy, specifically for forging. The FE simulation results are in a good agreement with the experimental one.

Haptic virtualisation of surfaces: feeling textiles on your phone

The haptic impression of textile surface properties has a decisive influence on its evaluation and ultimately on its acceptance and usability. Many solutions are used to replicate a static contour or shape, e.g. to feel controls on common touch displays. In contrast, this project investigates whether it is possible to simulate the roughness or friction behaviour of a textile surface using a commercially available mobile device.

Lubricated friction behaviour of thermal spray steel coated cylinder bores studied using a long-stroke reciprocating tribometer

Purpose This paper aims to study the effectiveness of using thermal spray (TS) coated bores in reducing friction under the mixed lubrication (ML) and elastohydrodynamic lubrication (EHL) regimes. Design/methodology/approach A reciprocating tribometer with a stroke length of 100 mm, was built to measure the coefficient of friction (COF) at the mid-stroke and ring reversal positions and to conduct sliding tests at a speed range of 0.31–3.14 m/s. Samples taken from fine-honed TS coated bores and also from cast iron (CI) liners that underwent a standard-honing process were tested against ring segments coated with chromium nitride (CrN) and diamond-like carbon. Findings Construction of Stribeck curves demonstrated that TS coatings showed a transition from ML to EHL at a lower speed (0.94 m/s) compared with CI (1.26 m/s) regardless of the counterfaces used. Lower COFs of 0.05–0.08 in ML was measured for TS coatings compared with those of 0.06–0.09 for CI in ML. Once EHL was reached, the COF of TS coatings decreased to 0.02–0.03 similar to those of CI. Examination of wear patterns suggested that the low roughness combined with high oil retention capability might be responsible for the reduced transition speed and the expanded EHL region for the TS coated surfaces. Originality/value With the EHL friction captured in a bidirectional sliding mode using a long-stroke tribometer, this work contributes to the understanding of the low-friction behaviour of TS coatings.