An oxide film (170) is formed on a surface of a base material (175) that is a sintered body constituted by an iron-based material. The oxide film (170) includes a first layer (171), a second layer (172), and a third layer (173). The first layer (171) is located on an outermost surface and is constituted by at least fine crystals. The second layer (172) is located under the first layer (171) and contains columnar structures. The third layer (173) contains columnar structures and is provided on the second layer (172) through an interface (174) so as to be located close to the base material (175). The first layer (171) includes a dense layer (171a). The oxide film (170) can exhibit satisfactory abrasion resistance.

A vehicle internal combustion piston and method of construction thereof are provided. The piston includes piston body extending along a central longitudinal axis, having an upper combustion wall forming an upper combustion surface and an undercrown surface opposite the upper combustion surface. An annular ring belt region depends from the upper combustion surface, a pair of skirt panels depend from the ring belt region, and a pair of pin bosses depend from the undercrown surface to provide laterally spaced pin bores aligned along a pin bore axis for receipt of a wrist pin. The undercrown surface forms a central undercrown region, and a portion of either an open outer cooling gallery, a sealed outer cooling gallery, or an outer galleryless region, wherein an insulating coating including a thermoset resin, such as a phenolic or epoxy resin, with additives is applied to at least one of the portions of the undercrown surface.

A process for making solid lubricants or lubricant additives or lubricant modifiers may include synthesizing two-dimensional (2D) nanoplatelets, nanorods, or nanowires of MoO.sub.3 and WO.sub.3. The process may also include creating hollow hexagonal ZnO nanotubes by refluxing a mixture of zinc nitrate and urea at a predefined temperature or a range of temperatures for a predefined period or periods of time. The process may further include growing the hollow hexagonal ZnO nanotubes around platelets, nanorods, or nanowires of the MoO.sub.3 or WO.sub.3. The process may also include creating a solid lubricant in a core-shell configuration from the hollow hexagonal ZnS nanotubes with an embedded hexagonal core of MoS.sub.2 or WS.sub.2.

A connecting element for a tubular component, the connecting element being overlaid with a coating including a principal layer constituted by a nickel-phosphorus alloy, a tubular component including one or more such connecting elements, and a method for producing such a connecting element.

Methods for depositing wear resistant NiW plating systems on metallic components are provided. In various embodiments, the method includes the step or process of preparing a NiW plating bath containing a particle suspension. The NiW plating bath is prepared by introducing wear resistant particles into the NiW plating path and adding at least one charged surfactant. The first type of wear resistant particles and the first charged surfactant may be contacted when introduced into the NiW plating bath or prior to introduction into the NiW plating bath. The at least one charged surfactant binds with the wear resistant particles to form a particle-surfactant complex. The wear resistant NiW plating system is then electrodeposited onto a surface of a component at least partially submerged in the NiW plating bath. The resulting wear resistant NiW plating system comprised of a NiW matrix in which the wear resistant particles are embedded.

A lubricating grease composition includes a base oil, a thickener, and a solid lubricant, wherein the base oil is a synthetic hydrocarbon oil with a kinematic viscosity of 600 to 2000 mm.sup.2/s at 40 C., the thickener is a barium complex soap, and the solid lubricant is an inorganic fine particle with Mohs hardness of 3 to 6 and an average particle size of 10 to 40 m.

Low friction coating of the present invention includes a boron-doped zinc oxide thin film, wherein piezoelectric polarization in a vertical direction perpendicular to a film surface and a lateral direction horizontal to the film surface occurs and a magnitude of the piezoelectric polarization in the vertical direction is within 150 pm and a magnitude of the piezoelectric polarization in the lateral direction is within 100 pm at 90% or more of measurement points. This makes it possible to greatly decrease the friction in a nanometer order.

An object of the present invention is to provide a high-aspect-ratio plate-like alumina particle having low aggregability and high dispersibility and a method for producing the particle. The above problem is solved by providing a plate-like alumina particle including a step of firing an aluminum compound in the presence of a shape-controlling agent and a molybdenum compound serving as a fluxing agent. The above problem is solved also by providing a method for producing a plate-like alumina particle, the method including a step in which the aluminum compound and the molybdenum compound react with each other to form aluminum molybdate and a step in which the aluminum molybdate is decomposed to obtain the plate-like alumina particle.

The present disclosure is related to provide a lubricating grease composition having a high static friction coefficient while maintaining excellent low-temperature torque characteristics, high-temperature shear stability, and high-temperature oil separation characteristics.

A lubricating grease composition of the present disclosure contains a base oil, a thickener, and a solid lubricant, wherein the solid lubricant is calcium carbonate, the amount of the calcium carbonate blended is 1 to 60% by weight based on the total weight of the lubricating grease composition, the calcium carbonate has an average particle diameter of 0.1 to 30 m, the base oil has a kinematic viscosity of 18 to 300 mm.sup.2/s at 40 C., and the lubricating grease composition has a worked penetration of 240 to 320.

A coating composition for a lubricating coating film includes: (A) a phenolic resin; (B) an epoxy resin having an epoxy equivalent weight of 600 to 4000; and (C) at least one type of solid lubricant. The epoxy equivalent weight is generally defined by the number average molecular weight per the number of epoxy groups in a single molecule. The coating composition has a weight ratio of component (A) to the total weight of component (A) and component (B) of at least 50 weight %. A lubricating coating film, formed from the coating composition, has a high level of flexibility on surfaces of various base materials.