Tribology of Advanced Materials and Processes

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Wear of materials is a significant industrial problem; a recent National Research Council of Canada report estimated that the cost of wear to Canadian industry is approximately 10 billion dollars annually. This stresses the need to develop economically and technologically viable research programs in tribology (friction and wear of materials). My research program involves a number of key areas that are pivotal to enhancing our understanding of wear and friction of advanced materials and coatings. The proposed research program would tackle two themes of significant value to the aerospace industry. (i) Assess the suitability of using a new generation of superelastic titanium-nickel alloys as wear and dent resistant bearings for demanding applications. In situations where precision bearings experience overloading, wear and denting can readily occur. Currently bearings are made from hard and stiff materials, which are satisfactory for many applications. However, for situations where bearings are subjected to shock loading, not only wear but also dent resistance becomes critical to the performance of bearings. In such scenarios, a material with high hardness yet compliant would be desirable. A possible candidate material possessing these unique properties is superelastic titanium-nickel alloy. Such bearings would potentially translate to significant cost savings associated with reduced downtime and frequency of parts replacement. (ii) Develop and test novel environmentally friendly aluminum and zinc-based coatings as potential substitutes for cadmium. Cadmium has been the coating of choice for fasteners in the aerospace industry over many decades due to its excellent lubricity. Unfortunately, cadmium is highly toxic and is heavily regulated by environmental agencies and occupational health and safety organizations. Therefore the need exists to search for a suitable environmentally friendly alternative coating.