Deactivation Effect of Tricresyl Phosphate (TCP) on Tribochemical Decomposition of Hydrocarbon Oil on a Nascent Steel Surface

A nascent surface has high activity to catalyze the decomposition of a lubricant under boundary lubrication conditions. To reduce the decomposition of a lubricant (multialkylated cyclopentane, MAC), tricresyl phosphate (TCP) was introduced as an additive. The tribological properties and decomposition process of lubricants on the nascent surface of bearing steel 52100 were investigated by a ball-on-disk friction tester in a vacuum chamber with a quadrupole mass spectrometer (Q-MS). The addition of TCP prolonged the induction period for decomposition of the lubricant. During the friction processes, hydrogen and gaseous hydrocarbons desorbed as tribochemical reaction products. XPS analysis revealed that the tribofilm from the additive was mainly composed of iron phosphate, which decreased the probability of generating a nascent surface, resulting in the reduction of desorption rate of gaseous products. The critical load for the mechanical activation of the decomposition correspondingly doubled.