Abstract

Gallium-based liquid metal (GLM) is an emerging lubricant because of low melting point, good fluidity and thermal stability, high thermal conductivity and electrical conductivity. This work investigates the tribological behavior of GLM for Cu/Al tribo-pair. It is found that with GLM lubrication, the friction coefficient of the Cu/Al tribo-pair is reduced by approximately 1.5 to 3 times, and the wear rate of the Cu alloy is also reduced by about 4 to 16 times, compared to dry friction. Furthermore, under high-speed and high-load conditions, the lubrication effect of GLM for the Cu/Al tribo-pair is particularly prominent. GLM provided fluid lubrication for the Cu/Al tribo-pair, and the formation of a gallium-aluminum metal film on the worn surface effectively prevents the direct contact of tribo-pair, thereby reducing friction and wear.

Keywords Plus：EMBRITTLEMENT，FILM

Published in TRIBOLOGY INTERNATIONAL，Volume 200；10.1016/j.triboint.2024.110090，DEC 2024