An Exploration of the Friction, Wear, and Electrical Effects of Nanoparticle Enhanced and Conventional Lubricants

Electrical connectors are found in many electrical systems such as computers, light switches, or electric vehicles and are present in a wide range of environments as a result. These contacts can often be subject to degradation from such things as fatigue and wear; if this degradation makes the electrical contact resistance (ECR) across the connector/contact change by too large an amount (depending on the application), the contact can fail or cause the system it is in to fail. As such, some contacts are lubricated to mitigate these effects. However, options are limited, as many lubricants are insulating or form insulating tribofilms. This work focuses on an investigation of the friction, wear, and ECR properties of a dodecane-based silver nanoparticle lubricant compared to a conventional option, along with exploring the effects of adding silver nanoparticles to this conventional lubricant. An analysis of the worn surfaces is also used to explore what friction and wear regimes were present for the different lubricants.