Recently,
many studies have reported the ultralow friction coefficient
of sliding friction between rigid solid surfaces in aqueous lubrication.
A running-in process that goes through high-friction and friction-decreasing
regions to a stable ultralow friction region is often required. However,
the role of the friction-decreasing region is often ascribed to tribofilm
formation in which complexity hindered the quantitative description
of the running-in process and the prediction of its subsequent lubrication
state. In this work, the frictional energy (E
f) dissipated in the running-in process of a poly(oligo(ethylene
glycol) methyl ether acrylate) aqueous lubrication was related to
the wear of solid surfaces under different conditions and lubrication
states. Experimental results indicated that the high-friction region
was in a boundary lubrication state, contributed to most of the wear,
and significantly reduced the contact pressure, whereas the friction-decreasing
region was in a mixed lubrication state, contributed only to the slight
and slow removal of materials, and slightly reduced the contact pressure.
Therefore, by establishing relationships among the wear scar diameter, E
f, and the Stribeck curve of the tribological
system, the subsequent lubrication state after a running-in process
under various working loads and sliding speeds could be quantitatively
predicted. The running-in experiments with different aqueous lubrication
systems showed good agreement with the prediction of this method.
This investigation provides an effective method for the wear and lubrication
state prediction after a running-in process, further proving the importance
of the Stribeck curve for a lubrication system. This study may also
have important implications for the strategy design of the running-in
process in various industrial applications.