Low friction slip-rolling contacts—influences of alternative steels, high performance thin film coatings and lubricants

Abstract

Original equipment manufacturers perceive diamond-like carbon (DLC) coat-ings as part of a strategy for low frictional tribosystems. Especially the automotive industry anticipates a benefit in applying such coatings in association with the lightweight construction of mechanical parts, for instance in gears and engines. Further improvements in creating low-friction contacts were achieved in the pre-sent work using alternative, available steel metallurgies as substrates for thin film coatings. Additional factors, such as tribological influences of the lubrication on the surface chemistry (additives and base oils) were investigated.