Research Projects

Solid lubricants coatings are preferred in conditions where liquid lubricants are not suitable. In this project, we propose to develop a custom made magnetron sputtering system which will be used to deposit the solid lubricant coatings on bearing components. The system will consist of the attachments for coating on balls, rollers, inner and outer races of the bearings. Molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) doped with titanium, chromium and aluminium will be used for solid lubricant coatings. Structural characterizations of the deposited films will be done by Raman spectroscopy, EELS, HRTEM, XRD, and XPS. The elemental analysis will be done by EDX. FESEM and AFM will be used to study morphology. The scratch and pull-off adhesion tests will be carried out to know the adhesion strength of the film. Hardness and tribological testings will be carried out with micro/nanoindenter and micro/nano-tribometer. Finally, the coated bearings' friction, wear, and bearing life will be tested in the standard laboratory and real-world test conditions as per ASTM standards.