skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: Linking microstructural evolution and macro-scale friction behavior in metals [Predicting the friction behavior of metals using a microstructural evolution model]

Journal Article · · Journal of Materials Science
 [1];  [1];  [2];  [1]
  1. Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)
  2. Virginia Polytechnic Inst. and State Univ. (Virginia Tech), Blacksburg, VA (United States)

A correlation is established between the macro-scale friction regimes of metals and a transition between two dominant atomistic mechanisms of deformation. Metals tend to exhibit bi-stable friction behavior—low and converging or high and diverging. These general trends in behavior are shown to be largely explained using a simplified model based on grain size evolution, as a function of contact stress and temperature, and are demonstrated for self-mated pure copper and gold sliding contacts. Specifically, the low-friction regime (where µ < 0.5) is linked to the formation of ultra-nanocrystalline surface films (10–20 nm), driving toward shear accommodation by grain boundary sliding. Above a critical combination of stress and temperature—demonstrated to be a material property—shear accommodation transitions to dislocation dominated plasticity and high friction, with µ > 0.5. We utilize a combination of experimental and computational methods to develop and validate the proposed structure–property relationship. As a result, this quantitative framework provides a shift from phenomenological to mechanistic and predictive fundamental understanding of friction for crystalline materials, including engineering alloys.

Research Organization:
Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA)
Grant/Contract Number:
AC04-94AL85000
OSTI ID:
1341410
Report Number(s):
SAND-2017-0377J; PII: 569
Journal Information:
Journal of Materials Science, Vol. 52, Issue 5; ISSN 0022-2461
Publisher:
SpringerCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 63 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

References (58)

Deformation-mechanism map for nanocrystalline metals by molecular-dynamics simulation journal December 2003
Friction of Clean Metals and the Influence of Surface Films journal December 1938
EBSD studies on wear-induced subsurface regions in LIGA nickel journal February 2003
Wear resistant electrically conductive Au–ZnO nanocomposite coatings synthesized by e-beam evaporation journal April 2013
Sliding wear of nanocrystalline Ni–W: Structural evolution and the apparent breakdown of Archard scaling journal July 2010
Cu/Ag EAM potential optimized for heteroepitaxial diffusion from ab initio data journal December 2009
Modelling the influence of grain-size-dependent solute drag on the kinetics of grain growth in nanocrystalline materials journal May 1999
Chronology of the microstructure evolution for pearlitic steel under unidirectional tribological loading journal October 2016
Friction transitions in nanocrystalline nickel journal April 2011
Contact Mechanics book January 1985
Friction and wear mechanisms in MoS2/Sb2O3/Au nanocomposite coatings journal July 2010
Frictional performance and near-surface evolution of nanocrystalline Ni–Fe as governed by contact stress and sliding velocity journal January 2013
Friction and Wear of Electroplated Hard Gold Deposits for Connectors journal March 1974
The running-in mechanisms of binary brass studied by in-situ topography measurements journal June 2013
Retaining the Nano in Nanocrystalline Alloys journal August 2012
An Analysis of Plastic Deformation in Rolling Contact journal June 1963
Grain size reduction by dynamic recrystallization: can it result in major rheological weakening? journal December 2000
Low wear metal sliding electrical contacts at high current density journal January 2012
Stress-dependent grain size evolution of nanocrystalline Ni-W and its impact on friction behavior journal October 2016
Metallic friction at cryogenic temperature journal January 1962
A determination of the stacking-fault energy of some pure F.C.C. metals journal March 1964
Extension of the Derby relation to metals severely deformed to their steady-state ultrafine-grain size journal February 2014
Asymmetric wear behavior of self-mated copper fiber brush and slip-ring sliding electrical contacts in a humid carbon dioxide environment journal February 2010
Superlubricity of Graphite journal March 2004
Processes of metal transfer and wear journal March 1964
Design of Stable Nanocrystalline Alloys journal August 2012
Sequence of Stages in the Microstructure Evolution in Copper under Mild Reciprocating Tribological Loading journal June 2016
Stacking fault energies and slip in nanocrystalline metals journal May 2004
High current density copper-on-copper sliding electrical contacts at low sliding velocities journal June 2009
Atomic mechanism for dislocation emission from nanosized grain boundaries journal June 2002
On the Zener drag journal January 1985
The Hall–Petch breakdown in nanocrystalline metals: A crossover to glass-like deformation journal October 2007
Nanotribological Properties of Alkanephosphonic Acid Self-Assembled Monolayers on Aluminum Oxide:  Effects of Fluorination and Substrate Crystallinity journal April 2006
On the thermal stability of physical vapor deposited oxide-hardened nanocrystalline gold thin films journal April 2015
Tribology of diamond-like carbon films: recent progress and future prospects journal September 2006
Mechanistic models for the activation volume and rate sensitivity in metals with nanocrystalline grains and nano-scale twins journal July 2005
Dynamic recrystallisation: The steady state grain size journal December 1992
Misfit-energy-increasing dislocations in vapor-deposited CoFe/NiFe multilayers journal April 2004
Mechanistic Studies in Friction and Wear of Bulk Materials journal July 2014
Toward a quantitative understanding of mechanical behavior of nanocrystalline metals journal July 2007
Copper–beryllium metal fiber brushes in high current density sliding electrical contacts journal May 2010
Contact mechanics and the wear of metals journal December 1995
Theory of the oxidation of metals journal January 1949
Contact between rough surfaces and a criterion for macroscopic adhesion journal February 2014
Dislocations emitted from nanocrystalline grain boundaries: nucleation and splitting distance journal December 2004
Frictional Voltammetry with Copper journal April 2012
Plastic deformation and sliding friction of metals journal April 1979
Friction of Metals in Reciprocating Sliding journal August 1961
Tribological Properties of Gold for Electric Contacts journal March 1973
Simulations of Nanotribology with Realistic Probe Tip Models journal February 2008
Effects of Strain Rate and Deformation Temperature on Microstructures and Hardness in Plastically Deformed Pure Aluminum journal January 2011
Grain-boundary sliding in nanocrystalline fcc metals journal November 2001
Stress-enhanced grain growth in a nanocrystalline material by molecular-dynamics simulation journal April 2003
Mechanical behavior of nanocrystalline metals and alloys11The Golden Jubilee Issue—Selected topics in Materials Science and Engineering: Past, Present and Future, edited by S. Suresh journal November 2003
Hardening mechanisms of hard gold journal November 1979
Explicit Equations for the Stresses beneath a Sliding Spherical Contact journal January 1983
Grain Growth in Thin Films journal August 1990
Contact Mechanics book January 2018

Cited By (9)

Achieving Ultralow Wear with Stable Nanocrystalline Metals journal June 2018
Solids Under Extreme Shear: Friction‐Mediated Subsurface Structural Transformations journal March 2019
Effect of Environment on Microstructure Evolution and Friction of Au–Ni Multilayers journal January 2020
Low friction of metallic multilayers by formation of a shear-induced alloy journal July 2019
Self-regenerating compliance and lubrication of polyacrylamide hydrogels journal January 2019
Effect of Plastic Deformation and Damage Development during Friction of fcc Metals in the Conditions of Boundary Lubrication journal May 2019
Low friction of metallic multilayers by formation of a shear-induced alloy text January 2019
Effect of Environment on Microstructure Evolution and Friction of Au–Ni Multilayers text January 2020
Solids Under Extreme Shear: Friction-Mediated Subsurface Structural Transformations text January 2019