Reduction of Friction and Wear on Plain Bearings through Deposition-Brazed Coatings

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Sophie Vinke, vinke@iot.rwth-aachen.de, Institut für Oberflächentechnik, RWTH Aachen University; Prof. Kirsten Bobzin, info@iot.rwth-aachen.de, Surface Engineering Institute, RWTH Aachen University; Marvin Erck, erck@iot.rwth-aachen.de, Surface Engineering Institute, RWTH Aachen University; Marlene Rose, marlene.rose@rwth-aachen.de, Surface Engineering Institute, RWTH Aachen University;

https://doi.org/10.53192/ITSC2026524

Regarding sustainability and environmental protection, renewable energies play a central role. The amount of wind energy has increased enormously in recent years and will continue to rise in the future. A reduction in friction and wear using emergency lubrication on functional component surfaces such as plain bearings in wind turbines could significantly reduce maintenance costs, energy consumption and CO2 emissions. In this study, novel deposition-brazed coatings based on a CuSn12 brazing alloy matrix and Ni coated graphite (NCG) acting as a solid lubricant are investigated. These are applied to a steel substrate by vacuum brazing. The coatings, containing different amounts of NCG, are further evaluated regarding their tribological properties friction and wear, and mechanical properties including shear strength and adhesive tensile strength. The novel deposition-brazed coating containing ωNCG = 20 wt.-% offers a lower coefficient of friction (CoF) of µ < 0.2 with reduced material costs compared to an industrial reference consisting of sintered bronze with rolled-in graphite. Increasing contents improve tribological properties of the coatings. Although the coatings’ shear strength is reduced, adhesion is guaranteed. Due to their good tribological properties and coating adhesion, the newly developed deposition-brazed coatings offer a promising, cost-effective and environmentally friendly alternative to industrial self-lubricating solutions.

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Erscheinungsdatum

March 2026

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