Low friction bio-inspired polydopamine/polytetrafluoroethylene coating performance in hydrodynamic bearings

Rutkevičius, Marius; Dong, Jimmy; Tremelling, Darren; Viertel, Julia; Beckford, Samuel

doi:10.1108/ilt-04-2021-0103

Low friction bio-inspired polydopamine/polytetrafluoroethylene coating performance in hydrodynamic bearings

Journal Article · 31 December 2021 · Industrial Lubrication and Tribology

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1108/ilt-04-2021-0103· OSTI ID:2418535

Rutkevičius, Marius ^[1]; Dong, Jimmy; Tremelling, Darren; Viertel, Julia; Beckford, Samuel

OSTI

Purpose

Low friction polymer coatings able to withstand high loadings and many years of continuous operation are difficult to formulate at low cost, but could find many applications in industry. This study aims to analyze and compare friction and wear performance of novel polydopamine/polytetrafluoroethylene (PDA/PTFE) and traditional tin Babbitt coatings applied to an industrial journal bearing.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper tested PTFE based coating, co-deposited with PDA, a biopolymer allowing sea mussels to adhere to ocean rocks. This coating was deposited on flat steel substrates and on a curved cast iron hydrodynamic journal bearing surface. The flat substrates were analyzed with a tribometer and an optical microscope, while the coated bearing liners were tested in an industrial laboratory setting at different speeds and different radial loads.

Findings

PDA/PTFE coating showed 2-3 times lower friction compared to traditional tin Babbitt for flat substrates, but higher friction in the bearing liners. PDA/PTFE also showed considerable wear through coating delamination and abrasion in the bearing liners.

Research limitations/implications

Five future modifications to mitigate coating flaws are provided, which include modifications to coating thickness and its surface finish.

Originality/value

While the novel coating showed excellent results on flat substrates, coating performance in a large scale bearing was found to be poor. This study shows that coating preparation needs to be improved to avoid frictional losses and unwanted damage to bearings. We provide several routes that could improve coating performance in industrial applications.

Research Organization:: SurfTec, LLC, Fayetteville, AR (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE)

DOE Contract Number:: EE0007874

OSTI ID:: 2418535

Journal Information:: Industrial Lubrication and Tribology, Journal Name: Industrial Lubrication and Tribology Journal Issue: 8 Vol. 74; ISSN 0036-8792

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

References (18)

Wear resistant PTFE thin film enabled by a polydopamine adhesive layer Beckford, Samuel; Zou, Min Applied Surface Science, Vol. 292 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsusc.2013.11.143	journal	February 2014
Improved Tribological Performance of Polydopamine/Polytetrafluoroethylene Thin Coatings With Silica Nanoparticles Incorporated into the Polydopamine Underlayer Abe, Adedoyin; Choudhury, Dipankar; Zou, Min Journal of Tribology, Vol. 143, Issue 11 https://doi.org/10.1115/1.4050523	journal	April 2021
Study on the reinforcing effect of nano-SiO2 filled PTFE composites Han, Yi; Zheng, Bo; Chen, Jihong AIP Advances, Vol. 9, Issue 5 https://doi.org/10.1063/1.5090580	journal	May 2019
Polyphosphoprotein from the Adhesive Pads of Mytilus edulis ^† Waite, J. Herbert; Qin, Xiaoxia Biochemistry, Vol. 40, Issue 9 https://doi.org/10.1021/bi002718x	journal	March 2001
Tribological performance of graphite-filled polyimide and PTFE composites in oil-lubricated three-body abrasive conditions Gheisari, Reza; Polycarpou, Andreas A. Wear, Vol. 436-437 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wear.2019.203044	journal	October 2019
Break-away friction of PTFE materials in lubricated conditions Golchin, Arash; Simmons, Gregory F.; Glavatskih, Sergei B. Tribology International, Vol. 48 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.triboint.2011.03.025	journal	April 2012
The effects of annealing conditions on the wear of PDA/PTFE coatings Jiang, Yan; Choudhury, Dipankar; Brownell, Matthew Applied Surface Science, Vol. 481 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsusc.2019.03.076	journal	July 2019
Assessment of polymer composites for hydrodynamic journal‐bearing applications McCarthy, D. M. C.; Glavatskih, S. B. Lubrication Science, Vol. 21, Issue 8 https://doi.org/10.1002/ls.92	journal	September 2009
The Effects of PTFE Thickness on the Tribological Behavior of Thick PDA/PTFE Coatings Ghosh, Sujan K.; Miller, Charles; Choudhury, Dipankar Tribology Transactions, Vol. 63, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.1080/10402004.2020.1728001	journal	March 2020
Survey of Damage Investigation of Babbitted Industrial Bearings Branagan, Lyle Lubricants, Vol. 3, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.3390/lubricants3020091	journal	April 2015
A study on compliant layers and its influence on dynamic response of a hydrodynamic journal bearing Thomsen, Kim; Klit, Peder Tribology International, Vol. 44, Issue 12 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.triboint.2011.07.011	journal	November 2011
Global energy consumption due to friction in paper machines Holmberg, Kenneth; Siilasto, Roope; Laitinen, Tarja Tribology International, Vol. 62 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.triboint.2013.02.003	journal	June 2013
Experimental investigation of the wear mechanisms of thin PDA/PTFE coatings Zhao, Yang; Zou, Min Progress in Organic Coatings, Vol. 137 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.porgcoat.2019.105341	journal	December 2019
Mussel-Inspired Surface Chemistry for Multifunctional Coatings Lee, H.; Dellatore, S. M.; Miller, W. M. Science, Vol. 318, Issue 5849 https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1147241	journal	October 2007
Global energy consumption due to friction and wear in the mining industry Holmberg, Kenneth; Kivikytö-Reponen, Päivi; Härkisaari, Pirita Tribology International, Vol. 115 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.triboint.2017.05.010	journal	November 2017
Tribological performance of polydopamine + Ag nanoparticles/PTFE thin films Choudhury, Dipankar; Niyonshuti, Isabelle I.; Chen, Jingyi Tribology International, Vol. 144 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.triboint.2019.106097	journal	April 2020
Ultralow wear PTFE composites filled with beryllia and germania particles Sun, Wei; Liu, Xiaojun; Liu, Kun Wear, Vol. 450-451 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wear.2020.203270	journal	June 2020
Performance Analysis of Polytetrafluoroethylene as Journal Bearing Material Desale, D. D.; Pawar, H. B. Procedia Manufacturing, Vol. 20 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.promfg.2018.02.060	journal	January 2018

Similar Records

Effect of Cu nanoparticles on the tribological performance of polydopamine + polytetrafluoroethylene coatings in oil-lubricated condition

Journal Article · 2021 · Applied Surface Science · OSTI ID:1976866

Tribological properties of PDA + PTFE coating in oil-lubricated condition

Journal Article · 2020 · Applied Surface Science · OSTI ID:1848605

Development and experimental study of an automated laser-foil-printing additive manufacturing system

Journal Article · 2022 · Rapid Prototyping Journal · OSTI ID:1980386

Related Subjects

Engineering

Low friction bio-inspired polydopamine/polytetrafluoroethylene coating performance in hydrodynamic bearings

Citation Formats

References (18)

Similar Records

Related Subjects