Tribological Roles of Glass‐Based Lubricants in Hot Rolling of Steel

Abstract

Glass‐based lubricants are essentially alkaline‐based inorganic polymers composed of alkaline elements and glass‐forming compounds (phosphates, borates, silicates) which are accountable for their polymeric nature. At high working temperature, the lubricants generally melt, wet the oxidized steel surface, and provide a viscous fluid‐like lubrication. This article provides a brief review of previous findings on the tribology of glass lubricants (polyphosphate, borate, silicate) in hot rolling, particularly their antioxidation and descaling behavior. Thermally driven and tribochemical reactions determine friction, wear, antioxidation, and descaling behavior. Then, the performance of glass lubricants is discussed from the perspective of experiment and modeling.