Novel water-based nanolubricant with superior tribological performance in hot steel rolling

Abstract Novel water-based nanolubricants using TiO₂ nanoparticles (NPs) were synthesised by adding sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate (SDBS) and glycerol, which exhibited excellent dispersion stability and wettability. The tribological performance of the synthesised nanolubricants was investigated using an Rtec ball-on-disk tribometer, and their application in hot steel rolling was evaluated on a 2-high Hille 100 experimental rolling mill, in comparison to those without SDBS. The water-based nanolubricant containing 4 wt% TiO₂ and 0.4 wt% SDBS demonstrated superior tribological performance by decreasing coefficient of friction and ball wear up to 70.5% and 84.3%, respectively, compared to those of pure water. In addition to the lubrication effect, the suspensions also had significant effect on polishing of the work roll surface. The resultant surface improvement thus enabled the decrease in rolling force up to 8.3% under a workpiece reduction of 30% at a rolling temperature of 850 °C. The lubrication mechanisms were primarily ascribed to the formation of lubricating film and ball-bearing effect of the TiO₂ NPs.