The mutual interaction between tribochemistry and lubrication: Interfacial mechanics of tribofilm

A new mechanism for the action of antiwear tribofilms is proposed. The antiwear action of ZDDP additive is believed to be mainly due to the formation of tribofilms that reduce wear by chemical action. In this study, a mixed lubrication model is developed and tribofilm growth integrated into this model to simulate the effects of tribofilms on lubrication. The dynamic evolution of the contacting surfaces due to plastic deformation, wear and tribofilm growth continuously change the lubrication characteristics inside the contact. It is observed that the growth of tribofilm roughens the contact and increase contact severity. It was found that this roughness increase also helps to entrain more lubricant, resulting in thicker lubricant films. Therefore, the plot of the evolution of film thickness ratio (hcentral(t)/Rq(t)) shows that the lubrication regime is improved by the presence of tribofilm. Therefore, not only the chemical presence but the physical presence of the tribofilm on the surfaces also helps to improve contact performance by retaining more lubricant and improving the lubrication regime.