The Development of Mixed and Tribochemical Material during the Sliding of Metals

在滑动金属的次表面变形材料的发展将遵循详细的高分辨率显微镜和表面分析，和非接触式开尔文探头的组合。 探针测量金属电子功函数的变化。 初步工作表明，在滑动接触过程中，功函数显示出周期性变化。这些已被初步确定为由于变形材料的缓慢积累，形成纳米晶体，转移膜和团聚，然后突然删除。 如果这种机制能够得到证实，并详细遵循，它可能会改变一般的磨损机制的看法。 这项工作将包括与白俄罗斯的一名研究人员合作，他开发了开尔文探针，并与洛斯阿拉莫斯国家实验室的研究人员合作，他们将在实验工作的同时进行分子模拟研究。

The development of deformed material in the subsurface of sliding metals will be followed in detail by a combination of high resolution microscopy and surface analysis, and a non-contact Kelvin probe. The probe measures changes in the metal's electronic work function. Preliminary work has indicated that during sliding contact the work function shows periodic changes. These have tentatively been identified as due to slow build-up of deformed material by formation of nano crystals, transfer films, and agglomeration, followed by sudden removal. If this mechanism can be confirmed and followed in detail it may change the view of wear mechanisms in general. The work will include collaboration with a researcher in Belarus, who developed the Kelvin probe, and with researchers at Los Alamos National Laboratory, who will conduct molecular simulation studies in tandem with the experimental work.