Date of Award

January 2022

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Mechanical Engineering

First Advisor

Surojit Gupta

Abstract

Break down of a material due to mechanical usage, otherwise known as wear, is a common issue that affects almost every industry as well as many commonly used goods. Components, such as bearings, can have major damage over time, especially if they are not protected by a lubricant. This thesis investigates the friction and wear behavior of high-performance materials lubricated by fuel-based lubricants. This work is divided into two parts; The first focuses on polymer matrix composites, and the second focuses on advanced ceramics. Polymers are of interest due to the ease of production and the polymer of choice for this study was polyether ether ketone (PEEK) due to its high strength and stability at high temperatures relative to other polymers. MAX and MAB phase powders were used as additives in PEEK matrix composites. The addition of the phases improved the wear performance of PEEK-based composites during dry sliding. Ethanol lubricated composites showed lower wear than dry sliding. Advanced ceramics like SiC and Si3N4 are widely applicable and play a major role in water-based lubricated systems. SiC and Si3N4 showed lower wear rate during ethanol and DI water lubrication due to formation of stable tribofilms which resisted the formation of third bodies.

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