Lubrication characteristics and wear mechanism mapping for hybrid aluminium metal matrix composite sliding under surfactant functionalized MWCNT-oil

The friction-wear response of surfactant functionalized MWCNT-in-oil suspension under hybrid aluminium metal matrix composite/EN31 contact is presented. Composites were fabricated, characterized and tribological tests were performed with a pin-on-disc tribometer. Prior to tribological testing, thermophysical and stability analysis of the prepared lubricants were carried out. The operating regimes of the lubricants were predicted based on the estimated film thickness and friction responses. It is observed that the film thickness ratio for surfactant-MWCNT-oil is increased by 47% which helped in the shifting of lubrication towards the mixed regime. The findings of the study reveals that there is a remarkable enhancement in tribological behavior when surfactant functionalized MWCNT-in-oil is used. Finally, a wear map of the underlying wear mechanisms is also presented.