Rheological behavior and tribological performance of a nanodiamond-dispersed lubricant

This paper studied the rheological property of a nanodiamond-dispersed lubricant. The viscosity as well as the dynamic and thermal behavior of this lubricant was investigated and a rheological relation was obtained by statistical regression. Based on the inspection of aggregation condition via particle sizing, a proper mechanical dispersing process was also proposed. Furthermore, the anti-friction and wear-reduction performance of this lubricant was explored by conducting a series of tribological tests. Carbon chromium steel ball rubbing with various materials such as carbon steels AISI 1045, AISI 1025, and aluminium alloy 6061 were implemented and compared. The tribological behavior of the lubricant was portrayed by the observation of the wear track and the test data of the contact condition. The different results of carbon steel and aluminium alloy gained an insight into the lubrication by means of nanodiamond suspension.