Evaluation of the wear energy consumption of nitrogenated diamond-like carbon against alumina

The wear energy consumption of nitrogenated diamond-like carbon (NDLC) in the tribo-test against alumina was evaluated. The energy input induced by the power source of the tribometer is applied to the contact area of two sliding bodies. The energy is dissipated into the two bodies with various transforming energies, such as (1) wear energy, (2) friction heat, (3) strain energy, (4) plastic deformation energy, and (5) chemical reaction energy used to form the tribo-layer. Determining the breakdown of the energy consumption into each mode is notably important for the investigation of the tribological mechanism. The surface fracture energy of NDLCs was evaluated by the micro-indentation method. The newly created surface area was estimated using the wear particles size distribution measured by image processing. The consumed wear energy was obtained by the surface fracture energy multiplied by the new created surface area corresponding to the generation of the wear particles in the tribo-test. The index numbers of the wear consumption energy/energy input ratio of the NDLCs were almost the same as those of their wear coefficients.