Pantelis G. Nikolakopoulos

Contrary to conventional journal bearings, which operate using oil-based substances, water-lubricated bearings (WLBs) utilize water and, thus, constitute a more environmentally responsible solution. The shipping industry, among others, as already been introduced to this technology with a lot of commercial ships using water-lubricated stern tube systems; in other cases, hydropower plants manage to keep up with the strict environmental regulations by implementing the use of WLBs in water turbines. However, there are a lot of challenges when it comes to transitioning from conventional bearings to water-based ones. Such challenges are caused by the low viscosity of water and lead to phenomena of high complexity. Such phenomena are related but not limited to cavitation and turbulent flow due to the interaction between the lubricating water and bearing surface. In this study, a numerical method will be used to simulate the fluid film and bearing geometries in order to perform a thermo-elastohydrodynamic (TEHD) analysis. The dynamic characteristics of the bearing will be calculated and the results will be discussed. The novelty of the study is evident in but not limited to the determination of the elastic deformation of a WLB during operation, as well as the effect of surface roughness, cavitation, and thermal effects on bearing characteristics.

Superlubricity, the tribological regime where the coefficient of friction between two sliding surfaces almost vanishes, is currently being investigated as a viable route towards the energy efficiency envisioned by major long-term strategies for a sustainable future. This current study provides new insights towards the development of self-lubricating systems by material and topological design, systems which tend to exhibit near-superlubric tribological performance, by reporting the synergistic effect of selective surface patterning and presence of carbon micro/nano-fillers on the frictional coefficients of additively manufactured structures. Geometric and biomimetic surface patterns were prepared by fused deposition modelling (FDM), using printing filaments of a polymeric matrix infused with graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) and carbon fibers (Cf). The calorimetric, spectroscopic, mechanical and optical microscopy characterization of the starting materials and as-printed structures provided fundamental insights for their tribological characterization under a ball-on-disk configuration. In geometrically patterned PLA-based structures, a graphene presence reduced the friction coefficient by ca. 8%, whereas PETG exhibited the lowest coefficients, in the vicinity of 0.1, indicating a high supelubric potential. Biomimetic patterns exhibited an inferior frictional response due to their topologically and tribologically anisotropy of the surfaces. Overall, a graphene presence in the starting materials demonstrated great potential for friction reduction, while PETG showed a tribological performance not only superior to PLA, but also compatible with superlubric performance. Methodological and technical challenges are discussed in the text.