SOLID LUBRICANT IN THE FORM OF FILM COMPRISING TRIAZINE COMPOUND OR SALT THEREOF

Abstract

The invention provides a solid lubricant in the form of film containing a triazine compound or the salt thereof, such as melamine cyanurate or the like.

Claims

1. A solid lubricant in the form of film comprising a triazine compound or a salt thereof.

2. The solid lubricant in the form of film of claim 1, wherein the triazine compound or the salt thereof is melamine cyanurate.

3. The solid lubricant in the form of film of claim 1, which is formed by physical vapor deposition.

4. The solid lubricant in the form of film of claim 3, wherein the physical vapor deposition is vacuum deposition.

5. A lubricant prepared by forming a layer of a grease or lubricating oil on the solid lubricant in the form of film of claim 1.

6. A method for making a solid lubricant in the form of film, comprising the step of forming a film of a triazine compound or a salt thereof by deposition.

Description

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

[0014] Examples of the triazine compounds or the salts thereof capable of forming a solid lubricant in the form of film according to the invention include 1,3,5-triazine, such as melamine, ameline, amelide, cyanuric acid, 2-ureidemelamine, melam, melem, and melon. Examples of the melamine salt include melamine cyanurate (MCA), melamine phosphate, dimelamine pyrophosphate or melamine polyphosphate, and functionalized melamine such as hexamethoxymethyl melamine or acrylate-functionalized melamine. In particular, melamine cyanurate is preferred.

[0015] The triazine compounds or the salts thereof as mentioned above may be used alone or two or more kinds may be used in combination. When the triazine compounds or the salts thereof are used in combination, two or more kinds of triazine compounds or the salts thereof may be contained in a single coating film. Alternatively, a plurality of coating films may be used, each comprising one kind of triazine compound or the salt thereof alone.

[0016] The coating film of the invention may further comprise other compounds in addition to the triazine compound or the salt thereof. Examples of such additional compounds include molybdenum disulfide, tungsten disulfide, boron nitride, and PTFE. In the case where other compounds are used in addition to the triazine compound or the salt thereof, the triazine compound or the salt thereof may preferably be contained in an amount of at least 75 mass %, more preferably at least 90 mass %, and most preferably 100 mass %, based on the total mass of the coating film.

[0017] The triazine coating film according to the invention may directly be formed on the portion to be lubricated. The triazine coating film according to the invention may be used together with at least one selected from the group consisting of water, oil and grease. The material constituting the portion on which the triazine coating film can be formed may be metals, e.g., iron, copper, silver, zinc, chromium, aluminum and the like, glass, ceramic, rubber, and plastic materials, i.e., so-called engineering plastics such as polyamide, polyacetal, polycarbonate and the like.

[0018] The triazine compound or the salt thereof may be applied using the known techniques and apparatus of deposition. The deposition temperature, which varies depending on the pressure may preferably be lower than the decomposition temperature of the triazine compound or the salt thereof, more preferably 600 C. or less, and still more preferably 500 C. or less. The deposition temperature may preferably be 300 C. or more, and more preferably 400 C. or more. The deposition can be conducted under high pressure or atmospheric pressure, but preferably under reduced pressure, for example 1,000 Pa or less, preferably 100 Pa or less, more preferably in the range of 10 to 10.sup.4 Pa, and most preferably in the range of 1 to 510.sup.3 Pa.

[0019] When the coating film is formed by deposition, physical vapor deposition is preferable. The methods of physical vapor deposition such as vacuum deposition, sputtering, and ion plating are available, but vacuum deposition is particularly preferred.

[0020] If the thickness of a coating film constituting the lubricant according to the invention is at least of the submicron order, the coating film can serve as a lubricant. For example, the thickness of 0.1 m or more is sufficient. The upper limit of the thickness is not particularly limited, but may preferably be 10 to 5 m.

[0021] The lubricant of the invention may be applied to any portions where a coating film of the triazine compound or the salt thereof can be formed, for example, to plain bearings, rolling bearings, gears, screws, automotive parts, electrical and electronic equipment and the like.

EXAMPLES

Example 1

[0022] A vacuum deposition apparatus (VED-1554, made by Akashi Seisakusho) equipped with a vacuum chamber and a tungsten filament for deposition (i.e., filament helically coiled into a basket form) was used. Melamine cyanurate was placed in the coiled tungsten filament. The filament was heated to 400 to 500 C., with the pressure of the vacuum chamber reduced to 510.sup.3 Pa to 1 Pa. Thus, melamine cyanurate was evaporated and deposited onto a substrate of single crystal potassium bromide.

[0023] The IR spectrum of the deposited melamine cyanurate film was compared with that of the melamine cyanurate before deposition. It was confirmed that the chemical structure of the melamine cyanurate was not changed after deposition.

Example 2

Determination of the Coefficient of Friction by BarbellPlate Test

[0024] Deposited films of Example 2 and Comparative Example 2 were prepared in the same manner as in Example 1 except that melamine cyanurate or a mineral oil having a kinematic viscosity of 100 mm.sup.2/s at 25 C. was deposited onto the test pieces below instead of the substrate of single crystal potassium bromide. The test pieces without deposition were used as Comparative Example 3.

[0025] This is an experiment where a plate is brought in sliding contact with the surface of a barbell (a test piece in a barbell form) by rotating a plate (a test piece in a plate form) with the application of a load, with the surface of the plate in contact with the barbell. The barbell is made of FeCr alloy steel, and has two discs, each having a diameter of 13 mm and a thickness of 5 mm and a shaft connecting the center portions of the two discs. The plate is designed to come in sliding contact with the peripheries of the discs of the barbell.

(1) Materials of Test Pieces

[0026] Test piece in a barbell form: SCr415

[0027] Test piece in a plate form: SUJ2

(2) Test Method

[0028] In the test, the linear contact with the cylindrical form allows a stable contact with little unevenness even at relatively low contact pressure. The test conditions are shown in Table 1. The frictional coefficient was determined by measuring the torque in the sliding direction using a load cell.

(3) Test Conditions

[0029] Contact pressure: 210 MPa

[0030] Sliding velocity: 0.1 m/s

[0031] Time duration: five minutes

TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 Comparative Comparative Example 2 Example 2 Example 3 Deposited film MCA Mineral oil Not lubricated (100 mm.sup.2/s at 25 C.) Coefficient of 0.2 0.35 >1 friction (average) obtained as the test results