Friction characteristics of a phosphorous-containing steel surface derived from ion implantation

Abstract

Phosphorous (P) ion implantation was performed on a steel substrate to investigate the effect of the P implantation on the friction characteristics of steel lubricated with oil. To determine the characteristics of the P-implanted layer, several kinds of surface analyses were carried out, resulting in a correlation between the X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy depth profile and the thickness from spectroscopic ellipsometer. A three balls-on-disc tribometer was employed with sliding speeds ranging from 3 mm/s to 40 cm/s. The friction coefficient of the P-implanted steel was relatively lower at speeds below 10−1 m/s, compared with the unimplanted steel. This could account for both the sacrificing nature and the adhesion behaviour of the P-implanted layer.

Tribological Behavior of Ion Implanted AISI 440C Stainless Steel under Oil Lubricated Condition

“…Though the oil wettability of the original sample weakens after ion implantations, they are still oleophilic. The increased contact angle might be in favor of the formation of the oil thin film, which can contribute to thin film lubrication regimes rather than boundary lubrication regimes [17]. This might interprets the friction coefficient decrease of the samples after ion implantation.…”