Material analysis and research and cryogenic and special atmosphere tribology

Our material experience collected in the last 26 years in the machine plating department proved to offer significant advantage in assessing failure analyses as well as solving tribological and material problems. Due to this rather unique combination, our lab staff will first approach material and tribological problems in a practical point of view. The presence of this fully equipped laboratory imparts a high level of coating quality control to our plating department as well.

Tribo tester (special atmosphere, low temperature,
cryogenic or heated conditions)

This highly advanced pin on ring tribo tester is the result of many special requests in the past. Nowadays sliding elements can be tested under very diverging conditions. Very often the huge amount of combined sensor data offers vital information about the prevailing tribological mechanism of the couple in translation.
We can manipulate the following conditions:

Speed
Pressure
Temperature: - 55°C - +260°C, electronically regulated within 2 °C
or fixed -196°C with liquid nitrogen (cryogenic condition)
Liquid or atmospheric conditions (variable humidity, e.g. bone dry condition), 99% Nitrogen / 99.99 % Argon / 99.9999% Hydrogen atmosphere or other atmospheres on request.

The following data can be recorded (c = continuous data logging:

Pin displacement ( C , high accuracy real time wear registration)
Final pin height change (accuracy +/- 1 µm / .04 mil)
Friction ( C )
Pin temperature 1 mm behind interface ( C )
Force on Pin ( C )
Test chamber temperature ( C )
Oxygen level in test chamber
Relative Humidity in test chamber ( C )
Roughness change pin and ring

This real time data collection imparts vital information about the material behavior during its service time (wear and friction can be high especially in the beginning or not !!). The wear dust can be collected and analyzed in our ICP AES for quantitative and qualitative composition analysis. Pin and ring surface change can be examined in our SEM or on our tally surf surface profile plotter (accuracy .4 µm / 0.016 mil). Because of the very sensitive movement (light) sensor, this tribo-tester can produce static or dynamic (temperature related) stress-strain data (Modulus of elasticity) of the pin material as well. Especially the possibility to establish highly controllable cryogenic condition is a unique extra feature. For elaborate tribological research programs we usually work in collaboration with a tribological research specialist, previously working for the governmental Dutch water control development department; MRCONSULT b.v. in Voorschoten .

Scanning Electron Microscope

With our Cambridge scanning electron microscope we are able to magnify and digitally photograph samples up to 40,000 times. Scanning Electron Microscopes are famous for their high magnification capability and to produce pictures with very high contrast or focus of depth. Moreover SEM's are capable to distinguish different elements in a sample. By means of Selective Area Diffraction various crystal structures can be distinguished. In case samples are not conductive, we are able to sputter samples first (7). In this way clear pictures from these samples can be obtained as well. See additional SEM pictures

AES ICP element analysis

ICP Atomic Emission Spectroscopy is a high tech and fast method to determine the exact elemental composition of materials with high accuracy (except Carbon, Nitrogen, Oxygen, Chlorine and Fluorine). For metal analysis we first dissolve samples in strong (mixed) high purity acid. For this we need less than a gram of material. Do not use grinding materials that can interfere with the sample identification e.g. sample prepared with a file when an iron containing sample needs to be analyzed. We can analyze most metals and their alloys, amount of porosity and characterize layered structures by applying a scaling technique. We can determine the rate of corrosion in mediums such as acids or seawater. Our accuracy is based on the use of certified standards.

Tensile tester

With the Instron Tensile tester, we are developing a
new generation coating with improved ductility.

Surface energy tester

Contact angle microscopes provide information about the material's surface energy (disperse and polar). We discovered Lunac coatings are capable to reduce the surface energy under special conditions significantly. In this way we optimized the non stick effect to its maximum. This non stick optimization proved to be crucial for extrusion and plast molding machine cleaning and release as well as for food industry machine parts functionality.

Remaining testing possibilities

Micro vickers hardness tester for testing (thin) coatings on substrates with limited hardness.
Various electronic hardness and roughness testers.
Arc spark direct elemental analysis (capable to determine carbon as well)
Elco non magnetic coating thickness on magnetic substrate testing. Eddy current coating thickness tester to obtain coating thickness of magnetic coatings on magnetic substrates (such as nickel on steel).
HPLC chromatography for various chemical analysis
Coating and substrate potential recording.