Tribological Properties of Paraffinic Oil with Nanodiamond Particles

Friction accounts for a large amount of energy lost in mechanical systems and applications. Nanofluids, with particles less than 100 nm, added to a base fluid have been proven to be effective in reducing friction and wear. Diamond has superior mechanical, thermal, optical, electrical, and chemical properties. Therefore, nanodiamond holds a lot of promise for use in nanofluids. The tribological properties of oil-based nanofluids with spherical nanodiamond particles with the size of 3-10 nm in diameter were investigated using a ball-on-disk friction test by varying nanodiamond concentration, sliding velocity, normal load, and disk roughness. The friction testing was performed using a UMT-2 Micro Tribometer. Wear analysis was performed and chemical composition of the disk surface was examined using a WYKO 3D surface profiler and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. In general, the addition of nanodiamonds to oil leads to a reduction in the coefficient of friction but an increase in wear of the disk.