Coating Filled with Lubricant Capsules Helps Metal Surfaces Repair Themselves
TRONDHEIM, Norway - A coating filled with tiny lubricant capsules could come to the rescue when metal surfaces dry out and friction builds up.
As part of an internal project at the Gemini Tribology Centre (friction, wear, lubrication), a group of researchers from SINTEF and the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) have spent two years studying coatings and thermal spraying. The researchers are now testing whether it is possible, where two metal surfaces are in contact with each other, to apply a coating to the surfaces formed of hard particles and capsules filled with liquid lubricant. “We apply the lubricant using a thermal spray technique, where powder and capsules are fired at the surface using a flame,” said Sergio Armada of SINTEF Materials and Chemistry. “When the metal surfaces come into contact with each other, the coating is broken down in a controlled manner, releasing the contents of the capsules, and the lubricant will then prevent further friction.”