In situ tribology and microtribology of coatings for aerospace and MEMS applications

每天，发达国家都在利用先进的机器进行运输、制造和许多其他应用。几乎所有这些都需要润滑，以防止系统磨损和故障。1990年的一项估计发现，一个国家通过加强对摩擦学原理（即减少摩擦和磨损）的关注，每年可以节省大约10亿美元。随着世界进入能源意识时代，这些概念变得越来越重要。用于帮助航空航天和汽车系统的一种策略是使用固体涂层，该固体涂层通过包含低摩擦材料来提供机械保护以免受磨损和润滑。高效的下一代涂层是纳米复合材料，由纳米尺度的相关硬质、保护和润滑相的基质组成。这些涂层的实施需要在其用于航空航天系统之前获得其性能的准确数据，其中即使一个故障也可能是灾难性的。另一个需要更多关注摩擦学的工业领域是微机电系统（MEMS）的制造。在MEMS工业中，存在创建具有移动和接触部件的可靠的复杂装置的强烈愿望。许多航空航天涂层也是微尺度润滑的候选者。摩擦学原理的成功应用将导致下一代创新MEMS器件的大量应用。这项工作将集中在两种技术，研究下一代涂层的航空航天和MEMS应用。使用现场摩擦试验机，在服务性能和航空航天涂层的变化将被检查。直接观察磨损机制将有助于优化航空航天涂层性能所需的设计和表面工程。对于MEMS应用，将通过纳米压痕来研究涂层的机械性能和微尺度摩擦和磨损性能。总之，涂层材料的摩擦学将在先进的航空航天和MEMS应用的长度尺度范围内进行研究。

Everyday, developed nations utilize sophisticated machines for transportation, manufacturing and many other applications. Almost all of these require lubrication to prevent wear and failure of the system. An estimate made in 1990 found that a nation could save on the order of a billion dollars annually through increased attention to tribological principles (i.e. reduction of friction and wear). These concepts become increasingly important as the world enters an era of energy consciousness. One strategy for aiding in aerospace and automotive systems is the use of solid coatings that provide mechanical protection from wear and lubrication by the inclusion of low friction materials. A highly effective, next generation class of coatings are nanocomposites consisting of a matrix of the relevant hard, protective and lubricating phases in nano-scale dimensions. The implementation of these coatings requires accurate data of their performance prior to their use in aerospace systems, where even one failure can be catastrophic. Another industrial area that requires increased attention to tribology is the manufacture of micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS). There is a strong desire in the MEMS industry to create reliable, complex devices with moving and contacting parts. Many aerospace coatings are also candidates for lubrication at the microscale. Successful utilization of tribological principles would lead to a next generation of innovative MEMS devices for a host of applications. This work will focus on two techniques to study next generation coatings for aerospace and MEMS applications. Using an in situ tribometer, in-service performance and changes of aerospace coatings will be examined. Direct observation of wear mechanisms will aid in the design and surface engineering necessary to optimize aerospace coating performance. For MEMS applications, coatings will be studied by nanoindenation for mechanical properties and microscale friction and wear properties. In summary, the tribology of coating materials will be studied over a range of length scales for advanced aerospace and MEMS applications.