High-Pressure Lubrication of Polyethylethylene by Molecular Dynamics Approach

Polyethylene (PE) and branched PE are common materials inserted inside contacts for medical and industrial applications. Consequently, their tribological properties have been extensively investigated in the past. This paper aims to determine the lubrication behavior of polyethylethylene (PEE) for iron contact and the two main factors of temperature and carbon chain length influencing the lubrication in the high-pressure lubrication regime by molecular dynamics simulations. Additionally, the influences of pressure and sliding velocity on the friction are also considered. These factors are found to be significantly influencing the lubricity. The obtained results mainly originated from shear and stretching of the PEE molecules, condensed situation of the lubricants, and adhesion between the lubricants and the iron surfaces. These observations are explained in detail.