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

发达国家每天都在运输、制造和许多其他应用中使用先进的机器。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，如果一个国家更加重视摩擦学原理（即减少摩擦和磨损），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。辅助航空航天和汽车系统的一种策略是使用固体涂层，通过包含低摩擦材料来提供机械保护，防止磨损和润滑。一种高效的下一代涂料是纳米复合材料，由纳米级尺寸的相关硬相、保护相和润滑相组成。在航空航天系统中使用这些涂层之前，需要准确的性能数据，在航空航天系统中，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行业中，有一个强烈的愿望，即创建具有运动和接触部件的可靠、复杂的器件。许多航空航天涂料也是微尺度润滑的候选材料。成功地利用摩擦学原理将导致下一代创新的MEMS器件的大量应用。这项工作将重点研究两种技术，以研究用于航空航天和MEMS应用的下一代涂层。使用原位摩擦计，将检查航空航天涂层的使用性能和变化。直接观察磨损机制将有助于设计和优化航空涂层性能所需的表面工程。对于MEMS应用，涂层将通过纳米压痕研究机械性能和微尺度摩擦磨损性能。总之，涂层材料的摩擦学将在先进航空航天和MEMS应用的一系列长度尺度上进行研究。

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.