The protective coatings industry is expanding, offering significant improvements in abrasion and wear resistance, which are crucial for economic sustainability. Despite the advancements, there remains a research gap in understanding the tribological properties and surface morphologies of electroless Ni-P and Ni-B coatings. This study aims to fill this gap by characterizing the surface structures, friction coefficients, and wear properties of two types of Ni-P and one type of Ni-B coatings. Using a ceramic ball counterpart in an SRV5 tribometer, we compared the wear rates according to Archard’s and Liu’s models, adhering to the DIN 51834-1 standard. Scanning electron microscopy was employed to analyze the impact of surface structures on friction coefficients and wear factors. The results reveal significant differences in wear resistance and friction behaviour among the coatings, providing valuable insights for their application in various industries.

The A356 alloy is commonly used in the foundry industry to produce high-stressed automotive components, such as motor frames and cylinder heads. The aim of this work was to investigate how the mechanical and tribological properties of this alloy can be improved by applying an anodizing process. The properties of the oxide layer formed by anodizing using oxalic acid at low temperatures were characterized by different analytical and tribological methods. The combination of tribological methods with standard measurement techniques—such as hardness measurement, layer thickness measurement, as well as the analysis of the morphological characteristics—was used to track the layer evolution during wear developments.

In this paper, our aim was to create a coupled numerical simulation method for rolling contact fatigue (RCF) analysis which takes into account the effects of results of the heat treatment process of the manufacturing of specimen/machine...

Protective coatings enhance abrasion and wear resistance, extending component lifespan. This study optimizes bath and heat treatment parameters for Ni–B coatings to improve tribological performance. Synthetic datasets of the coefficient of friction (COF) were analyzed using factorial design and the Taguchi method. The optimal COF values were μ_opt = 0.4244 (factorial) and μ_opt = 0.3998 (Taguchi), with the latter’s confidence interval [0.3671, 0.4325] confirming the validity of both. For minimizing COF, optimal settings were t_f = 60 °C, T_l = 60 min, t_h = 200 °C; for maximizing Vickers microhardness, t_f = 85 °C, T_l = 100 min, t_h = 600 °C, with a confidence interval of [814.17, 867.48]. These findings offer valuable insights into optimizing the Ni–B coating process.

Many calculating methods have been already developed for solving contact problems of parts such as gears, cams, and followers under fluid film lubrication conditions considering the temperature and pressure dependence. Similarly, the determination of the elasto-hydrodynamic pressure distribution the processes taking place in the lubricant and the contacting bodies, as well as in their environment, have to be dealt with simultaneously for the determination of the temperature field. A system of equation for the modelling of thermo-elastohydrodynamic lubrication between two contacting bodies containing hydrodynamic, thermodynamic, and strength problems is a highly non-linear system which becomes even more so if the temperature and pressure dependence of the material properties are considered. To solve this system, scientists started to use the finite element formulation in the 1960s and it was found to be a promising and reliable method. Earlier, the lubrication analysts used only the h-version finite element method (h-FEM) till 1991, when the first usage of the p-version finite element method (p-FEM) was published in the literature. In order to reduce the problem, in case of point or line contact, the contact bodies can be handled as semi-infinite ones. Following this simplification that had been successfully applied for the gap size determination, a substructure model was defined using analytical solution of the moving heat source. Instead of an iterative way between the solid and fluid problem, in this paper we present an efficient solution when thermal model for lubricant and surfaces were coupled and solved by a direct numerical method in one step.