photo: www.marcelchrist.com

Powder Flow and Lubrication

Powder lubricants have been shown to provide extremely low friction coefficients, while also providing multifunctional benefits in applications with electrical conductivity, oxidation, ultra-low temperatures, high vacuum, and a demand for entirely “green” materials. Alternatively to more static solid coatings, powder lubricants are believed to accommodate velocity through a more dynamic flow process. However, powder flow mechanics are inherently complex, largely misunderstood, and relevant to a wide array of industries beyond lubrication such as injection molding, additive manufacturing, cosmetics, and food processing.

The PFTL currently performs experiments and modeling focused on both optimizing the delivery system of powder lubricants into a sliding interface as well as predicting the performance of powder flows under stress.

 

Specific Projects