The Effect of the Addition of Silicon Dioxide Particles on the Tribological Performance of Vegetable Oils in HCT600X+Z/145Cr46 Steel Contacts in the Deep-Drawing Process

Friction is an unfavourable phenomenon in deep-drawing forming processes because it hinders the deformation processes and causes deterioration of the surface quality of drawpieces. One way to reduce the unfavourable effect of friction in deep-drawing processes is to use lubricants with the addition of hard particles. For this reason, this article presents the results of friction tests of dual-phase HCT600X+Z steel sheets using the flat die strip drawing test. Sunflower oil and rapeseed oil with the addition of 1, 5 and 10 wt.% of silicon dioxide (SiO₂) particles were used as lubricants. Tests were also carried out in dry friction conditions and lubricated conditions using SiO₂-modified oils and oils without the addition of particles, as a reference. Tests were carried out at different pressure values between 2 and 8 MPa. The effect of friction on the change in sheet surface roughness was also examined. For the entire range of pressures analysed, pure sunflower oil showed lower efficiency in reducing the coefficient of friction compared to pure rapeseed oil. In the pressure range of 4-8 MPa, the lubricants with 5 wt.% and 10 wt.% of particles were more effective in reducing friction than the biolubricant with the addition of 1 wt.% of SiO₂. The lowest average roughness was observed for lubrication with sunflower oil containing 5 wt.% of particles. In relation to rapeseed oil, the addition of 10 wt.% of SiO₂ provided a sheet surface with the lowest average roughness.