Effect of Friction Parameters on Tribological Properties of Erucamide as Grease Additive on GCr15 Steel

Abstract The present study investigates the effect of friction parameters on tribological properties of erucamide as an additive in grease on GCr15 steel, as well as the sensitivity of erucamide to these parameters. An orthogonal test design is utilized to sample the friction parameters, followed by the construction of a Kriging model to articulate the relationship between these parameters and the designated objectives (average friction coefficient and wear volume). The Non-dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm II (NSGA-II) is used to optimize the design objectives and verify the accuracy of the model. The Monte Carlo method is used to analyze the sensitivity of erucamide to the friction parameters. The results showed that erucamide exhibits excellent tribological properties at 80 N/20 Hz/25 °C and 20 N/20 Hz/25 °C. The sensitivity of erucamide to friction parameters from high to low is temperature, load, and speed. This can be ascribed to erucamide's unique structure, encompassing a globular aggregation head and a hydrophobic tail extending outward. The anti-friction effects and lubrication properties of erucamide are driven by its rheological properties and intermolecular interactions. At elevated temperatures, erucamide's fluidity escalates, favoring the lubricating film formation; however, excessive fluidity may impede its adherence to requisite locations, thereby resulting in compromised tribological properties of erucamide at high temperatures.