The effect of hexagonal boron nitride additive on the effectiveness of grease-based lubrication of a steel surface

Abstract

Purpose:
The purpose of this paper is to study the sliding and the vibrating fretting tests mechanism of h-BN micro-particles when used as a lubricating grease-2 additive.

Design/methodology/approach:
The fretting tests were conducted on steel/steel contacts using both vibrating fretting apparatus and the shaftsleeve slide fitted tester. The wear scars were characterized with profilometry. The tribological properties of grease-2 compounded with h-BN additive were also compared to those obtained for the commercial product Militec-4.

Findings:
The experiment showed significant differences between the results obtained from the vibrating fretting and the shaft-sleeve sliding fitted tests. Adding h-BN to the lubricant leads to a better performance in the shaft-sleeve slide regime than in the steel/steel vibrating test condition.

Originality/value:
The results of the experimental studies demonstrate the potential of h-BN as an additive for preventing fretting sliding, and can very useful for further application of compound grease-2 with h-BN additive in industrial equipment.