Oil-free Powertrain Test

RVS participated in an EU-funded research program in Munich, Germany, in 2004. From here you can read both the key results and the full test report (in English):

The results are shown in Figure 6: untreated discs were destroyed in 7 minutes, while RVS-treated discs lasted approximately 15 minutes. Thus, the service life of the treated discs was more than twice that of the untreated ones (page 46).

After the test, traces of silicon could be observed on the surface. Surface roughness decreased from Ra = 0.2 µm before the test to Ra = 0.05 µm after the test (page 57). The original grinding mark, which was transverse to the direction of motion of the parts, was no longer visible.

The conclusion of these tests conducted with the RVS Technology material was that surfaces formed under boundary lubrication have a positive effect on operating time in oil-free conditions. The surface roughness of the discs decreased, and traces of silicon could be observed on the surfaces after the surface had been formed by running the parts in the test device. However, the resulting surface structure could not be directly observed from the surface (page 57).

Factors that may have affected the observation of the surface:

• RVS modifies the surface structure and integrates into the metal of the friction surface, which is why there is no clear boundary between the metal of the surface and the new surface.

• The triboceramic nano-coating does not cover the entire friction surface evenly and completely. The ceramic structure forms only where contact actually occurs.

• The coating layer can be, and is usually, very thin. Perhaps the properties and accuracy of the measuring device were also too limited.

• X-ray or atomic force microscopy images taken from a ground test specimen of the RVS-treated surface might be better suited for this purpose.