Investigation of different inorganic chemical compounds as hot metal forming lubricant by pin-on-disc and hot rolling

This paper investigated the tribological performances of different inorganic high temperature lubricants, to explore their potential application in hot metal forming. Pin-on-disc and hot rolling apparatus were used to conduct these tribological tests. The results indicate that liquid-glass lubricant shows a superior performance than traditional o/w emulsion and layered solids in terms of lubrication, antiwear and material transfer prevention. The excellent wettability and formation of easily sheared glassy film on tribo-surface are the main contributors for the excellent performances. The use of layered solid lubricant is restricted appreciably by the exposure time to high temperature; long exposure time will decompose the solid. The antioxidation ability and mechanisms of the tested lubricants are also studied.