EFFECT OF THE ADDITION OF A SELECTED IONIC LIQUID ONTRIBOLOGICAL PROPERTIES OF STEEL

This paper examines the impact of incorporating the 1-Butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate(BMIMPF6) ionic liquid into PAO 8 polyalphaolefin oil on the tribological characteristics of the steel-steelsystem lubricated with this oil. Friction-wear tests were carried out on a tribological tester operating as aball and disc assembly in a frictional motion. Tests were carried out with a load of 10 N over a slidingdistance of 1,000 m. 100Cr6 steel discs and balls were used in the tests. The tests were carried out underlubrication conditions with the BMIMPF6 ionic liquid, PAO 8 poly(α)olefin oil, PAO 8 poly(α)olefin oil withthe addition of 1% and 10% BMIMPF6 ionic liquid. Following the tribological tests, both discs and balls weresubjected to microscopic observation with a view to analysing the microstructure and geometric structure ofthe surface at the wear track. The study found that the quantity of ionic liquid incorporated into the PAO 8oil has a discernible influence on the tribological characteristics of 100Cr6 steel. Adding a lubricant with 1%of BMIMPF6 in PAO 8 to PAO 8 containing 10% of BMIMPF6 increased the coefficient of friction valueby approximately 26% and lowered disc wear by approximately 43%. In contrast, the analysis of ball wearrevealed that the lowest level of wear was observed in the 1% concentration of BMIMPF6 in PAO 8, whilethe highest level of wear was observed in PAO 8 oil.