Effects of Microscale Particles as Antiwear Additives in Water-Based Slurries with Abrasives

Abrasive wear is the dominant cause of tool failure in the process of mining and petroleum/gas drilling. This research investigated the effects of two additives, polystyrene and silicon nitride, on the tribological properties of water-based slurries with silicon dioxide or alumina abrasives. A pin-on-disk configuration was utilized to evaluate the performance of the additives for a steel-steel contact. Experimental results showed that polystyrene particles were able to reduce wear but friction increased simultaneously. On the contrary, silicon nitride particles exhibited excellent performance on both wear resistance and friction reduction. Results in this study indicated that the addition of appropriate additives was able to improve the tribological properties of slurries with abrasives.