Mechanism and characters of thin film lubrication at nanometer scale

Thin film lubrication is a transition region between elastohydrodynamic lubrication and boundary lubrication, A technique of relative optical interference intensity with the resolution of 0.5 nm in the vertical direction and 1.5 nm in the horizontal direction is used in a pure rolling process to measure the film thickness with different lubricants, speeds, loads and substrate surface energy. Experimental data show that the characteristics of thin film lubrication are different from those of elastohydrodynamic lubrication and boundary lubrication. As the rolling speed decreases, a critical film thickness can be found to distinguish thin film lubrication from elastohydrodynamic lubrication. Such thickness is related to the substrate surface energy, atmospheric viscosity of lubricant, etc. A physical model of thin film lubrication with the fluid layer, the ordered liquid layer and the adsorbed layer is proposed and the functions of these different layers are discussed.