Investigation of cryogenic friction and wear properties of Invar 36 alloy against Si3N4 ceramic balls

The existing materials for liquefied natural gas (LNG) cryogenic submersible pump bearings are very susceptible to wear and failure in LNG environments where oil lubricants and greases are ineffective, posing a major hazard to the safety of LNG storage and transportation. Therefore, searching for a type of material with excellent cryogenic tribological properties for improving the life of LNG bearings has become a huge challenge for researchers. Invar 36 alloy, as a low expansion nickel-titanium alloy, is used in control instruments, moulds, laser control equipment, and materials of LNG transport hull at temperatures below −162 °C. However, there is a lack of research data in the field of bearings. Currently, the Si3N4 ceramic balls are widely used in ceramic hybrid ball bearings and exhibit excellent tribological properties. In this work, the tribological performance of Invar 36 alloy is mainly investigated against Si3N4 ceramic ball under extremely cryogenic and dry conditions using the modified ball-on-disk tribometer with a cryogenic module, with temperatures as low as −196 °C. All experiments are performed at loads of 0.5 N, 1 N, 1.5 N, and 2 N, and at temperatures of 20 °C, 0 °C, −78 °C, and −196 °C, respectively. The experimental results show that the coefficient of friction (COF) and wear rate decrease with temperature and load, with a minimum value of −196 °C. The Invar 36 alloy exhibits excellent tribological properties, whose COF decreases gradually from 20 °C to −78 °C. However, as the temperature drops to −196 °C, the COF decreases abruptly, reaching a minimum value at −196 °C. On the contrary, the COF gradually increases with load. In addition, a commercial bearing grade material (G95Cr18 steel) is tested and compared under the same conditions, proving that Invar 36 alloy exhibits better tribological properties than G95Cr18 steel, with a wear rate 55.43% lower than G95Cr18 steel at −196 °C. Further simulation comparisons demonstrate that, due to its extremely low coefficient of thermal expansion, Invar 36 alloy exhibits higher toughness and strength than G95Cr18 steel under cryogenic conditions. This study complements the tribological data of Invar 36 alloy and G95Cr18 steel against Si3N4 ceramic balls under different temperatures and loads and provides important theoretical guidance and technical support for the bearings’ future development of LNG cryogenic submersible pump.