Tribological aspect of lubrication in form tapping of high strength steel

Abstract

This study aims at analyzing the tribochemical mechanisms of lubrication during the process of form tapping and consequently optimizing the formulation of the lubricant. In order to correlate the tribochemical reactions with the performance of a lubricant, we measure the alteration of tapping torque according to ASTM D5619 standard. The objective of the study also relates to the identification of the additives and the association of their properties to the performance of lubrication. The goal is to characterize the nature of the tribofilm created at the bottom of the threads which is the zone the most severely affected by the working tool. X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) is used to characterize the surface of formed threads. This study demonstrates a link between the sulphur reactions on the metallic surface and the friction reducing performance of lubricant during form tapping.