Elevated temperature diffusion self-lubricating mechanisms of a novel cermet sinter with orderly micro-pores

A special self-lubricating mechanism of a novel kind of cermet sinter consisting of orderly micro-pores has been investigated at elevated-temperature. Solid lubricant can be stored in these orderly micro-pores and can diffuse to frictional surfaces to provide lubrication. Experiments show that when soft metal, such as Pb or Ag, is used as the solid lubricant the frictional coefficient of the cermet can be decreased about 60–65% compared with no such additives. Because of the controlled porosity (e.g. less than 20%), the side effects of such a micro-pore structure on the material mechanical properties (e.g. crushing strength) can be very limited. Obviously, because of the excellent lubricating property and the impressive loading capacity, such a kind of self-lubricating cermet sinter will have extensive potential uses, such as for heavily loaded bearings in metallurgy equipments.By using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX), the differences between the diffusing processes of Pb and Ag are observed and discussed to give more details on this self-lubricating mechanism.