New solid lubricant coatings

Recently two new coatings based on graphite and MoS2 have been developed. These combine very low friction with high hardness, very low wear and high load bearing capacity. Both coatings act as solid lubricants and provide protection for both the coated surface and any uncoated opposing surface. The development of the coatings is described briefly together with details of tribological properties as revealed by laboratory testing. The structure of the coating has been studied and related to the properties. The mechanism for the low friction combined with exceptionally low wear rates is discussed. Some practical applications are described. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.