A Factorial Analysis of Material Composition and Operating Parameters on Tribological Properties in Graphite-Plugged Bronze Bushings

A Factorial Analysis of Material Composition and Operating Parameters on Tribological Properties in Graphite-Plugged Bronze Bushings | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article A Factorial Analysis of Material Composition and Operating Parameters on Tribological Properties in Graphite-Plugged Bronze Bushings AMIR ALSAMMARRAIE, MAKI H. ZAIDAN, ALI K. A. ALJBOURY This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-8449492/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Self-lubricating bronze bushings with inserts of solid graphite lubricant are considered an important part of a mechanical system when environmental limitations or design issues make normal liquid lubrication impossible. This research presents a comprehensive experimental study on frictional behavior under 243 structurally defined test conditions, investigating the effects of the interaction between the graphite ratio (10%, 20%, 30%), diameter of the graphite plug (8, 10, 12 mm), normal applied load (50, 100, 150 kg), sliding speed (250, 500, 750 rpm), and the sliding time (10, 20, 30 minutes) on the coefficient of friction (COF), wear loss, and friction temperature. A study using a full factorial experimental design (3⁵), analysis of variance (ANOVA), and correlation analysis revealed graphite content as the most significant physical factor. Increasing graphite content to 30% from 10% reduced the average coefficient of friction by 29% and wear loss by 58%. Significantly, the effects of graphite plug diameter on tribological performance are statistically insignificant (p > 0.05), which offers a high degree of design freedom without affecting the performance. Applied normal load is counterintuitive, with a 54% decrease in COF and a 59% decrease in wear loss between the 50–150 kg range, indicating antagonistic interaction of transfer film improvement and contact stress amplification. Sliding speed has become the most adverse parameter, and the wear loss grows 357% as the speed rises between 250 and 750 rpm, which is mostly due to the thermal deterioration of the lubricating ability of graphite. Correlation analysis shows that there are strong correlations between normal load and COF (r = -0.719), between sliding speed and wear loss (r = 0.658), and between graphite percentage and wear loss (r = -0.471). Optimal tribological performance is observed at 30% graphite content, maximum practicable load (150 kg), and minimum practicable sliding speed (250 rpm), which lead to a COF of 0.150–0.170 and wear loss of less than 0.100 mg. The research offers quantitative design considerations to the engineers who are adopting graphite-plugged bronze bushings in the challenging applications. self-lubricating bearings bronze composites graphite solid lubricant tribological testing factorial design coefficient of friction wear analysis transfer films dry sliding conditions Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-8449492","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":565678194,"identity":"59797480-831a-404a-83cd-0605551ebc29","order_by":0,"name":"AMIR ALSAMMARRAIE","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"University of Tikrit","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"AMIR","middleName":"","lastName":"ALSAMMARRAIE","suffix":""},{"id":565678205,"identity":"997b1fa4-49ea-4350-a31d-7a572829f056","order_by":1,"name":"MAKI H. 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This research presents a comprehensive experimental study on frictional behavior under 243 structurally defined test conditions, investigating the effects of the interaction between the graphite ratio (10%, 20%, 30%), diameter of the graphite plug (8, 10, 12 mm), normal applied load (50, 100, 150 kg), sliding speed (250, 500, 750 rpm), and the sliding time (10, 20, 30 minutes) on the coefficient of friction (COF), wear loss, and friction temperature. A study using a full factorial experimental design (3⁵), analysis of variance (ANOVA), and correlation analysis revealed graphite content as the most significant physical factor. Increasing graphite content to 30% from 10% reduced the average coefficient of friction by 29% and wear loss by 58%. Significantly, the effects of graphite plug diameter on tribological performance are statistically insignificant (p\u0026thinsp;\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;0.05), which offers a high degree of design freedom without affecting the performance. Applied normal load is counterintuitive, with a 54% decrease in COF and a 59% decrease in wear loss between the 50\u0026ndash;150 kg range, indicating antagonistic interaction of transfer film improvement and contact stress amplification. Sliding speed has become the most adverse parameter, and the wear loss grows 357% as the speed rises between 250 and 750 rpm, which is mostly due to the thermal deterioration of the lubricating ability of graphite. Correlation analysis shows that there are strong correlations between normal load and COF (r = -0.719), between sliding speed and wear loss (r\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.658), and between graphite percentage and wear loss (r = -0.471). Optimal tribological performance is observed at 30% graphite content, maximum practicable load (150 kg), and minimum practicable sliding speed (250 rpm), which lead to a COF of 0.150\u0026ndash;0.170 and wear loss of less than 0.100 mg. 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