RVS Technology® – deeper than the surface

 

Industrial use of RVS Geoactivators

RVS Geoactivator is used to improve the physical-chemical properties of the work of friction parts made of different materials and used in different types of mechanisms.

Depending on the type of the friction pair, geometry of the surfaces in mutual contact, loads on them, and the material, of which they have been made, we get different tribotechnical effect that affect their destruction.

RVS Geoactivators are, due to their uniqueness, able to prevent the appearance of the basic destructive factors, such as electrochemical corrosion, grating, and other forms of mechanical damage and wear, fragility caused by hydrogen etc.

RVS Geoactivators are used not only as a preventive method but also as a restoration (healing) means. This use has been proved by numerous practical and research works on different mechanisms (friction pairs). When the RVS Geoactivators are used as restorers, we get "cure" of the hydrogen cracking of the surface, restoration of the initial geometric dimensions due to growth of the surface (up to 1.1 mm!), and liquidation of the gaps caused by the exploitation of the mechanism.

These properties of the RVS Geoactivator have shown themselves to be positive.

 

What is RVS Geoactivator?

RVS is a multicomponent finely dispersed mixture of serpentinite, chlorite, caolinite and other minerals. Most of all for its manufacturing process are used minerals of the layer mineral group – serpentinites.

Although the technological properties have been thoroughly researched, their tribological properties have practically not been researched. That is why they are not used more in that direction. The only widely known minerals used as lubricants, are talc, graphite, and molybdenite.

Having studied geology, we know that in nature the layer silicates (serpentinites) play a role of border lubricants - sliding mirrors - in tectonic motions and displacements. During the last 30 years, Russian researchers have made several discoveries and inventions (Garkunov & Kragelsky 1969, Silin et al. 1971, Marinich et al. 1981), the direction of which caused the appearance of the conception of "geo-tribo power engineering", and - as a result - "geo power engineering". The possibility of the technical realization of "sliding mirrors" similar to natural on friction surfaces (tribojoints) in mechanisms in real use was the base of the appearance of the RVS Geoactivators. The modern research methods have proved the practical reality and meaningfulness of the properties of the geoactivators made of oldest minerals.

 

Techical-economical effectiveness of the use of RVS Geoactivators

The meaningful practical results of the use of the RVS compounds on different types of equipment are already undeniable and it has been proved numerous times by different users in many countries of the world. The main technical-economical effects are:

  • friction loss reduction by 30 % or even more
  • wear resistance improvement by 50 to 200 %
  • service life of lubricants is improved by 50 to 200 %
  • economy of electricity and fuel by 15 to 20 %
  • reduction of noise and vibration

etc.

All the characteristics above cause colossal economic effectiveness and a possibility to solve many technological and ecological problems of contemporary industrial processes.

In addition to what has been mentioned, RVS Technology makes it possible to make worn surfaces grow up to the optimal dimensions of the joint, thus reducing the expences on the repairing works of the equipment and change of expensive parts.

The only obstacle of the large-scale market penetration of the RVS Geoactivators is the lack of information on the product due to its late appearance.

The testing of the RVS Geoactivators in laboratories cannot be done by conventional standard tests used in tribology, because they research lubricant films or parts, the surface of which has been treated beforehand, and the formation process the RVS Compound needs is not taken into account. On the other hand the person that carries out the test should understand the principles of the RVS Technology in order to assure the right direction of the tests.

 

The features of the processes in a tribosystem and the effect of geoactivators.

We will study the topic from the point of view of metallurgy only, since it is the process closest to the one to be described below.

A tribosystem is a joint of two or more bodies with their mutual movement and interaction in various co-ordinating spheres simultaneously. We use the term co-ordinating sphere as all the numerous types of processes that are different from each other and that take place in accordance with their own laws. They are such processes of interaction as mechanical, physical, chemical, electric etc.

One has to mention that all these types of interactive processes are related to each other in one tribosystem, and, as they take place simultaneously, they are complicated complex of formations affected by each other.

One has also to mention that a major part of the described interactive processes has to be considered microprocesses, which cannot always be explained by conventional terms (or can be explained with a reference to the error level?).

For the simplicity we shall first consider any tribosystem an interaction of three bodies: steel-lubricant-steel, without taking into account the type of the relative movement and chemical composition of the bodies or external loads, because on the microprocess level they do not affect very much the process itself.

We shall proceed from the fact that the size of the "working" RVS particles is from 1 to 20 µm, the thickness of the "lubricant" film is from 5 to 20 µm, and the roughness of the surface of the bodies (steel) can be compared to these sizes, which corresponds in most cases to the reality in the tribosystem. All this means that the processes taking place in such system are microprocesses and they do not always correspond to conventional ideas and explanations.

In the movement of the surfaces in relation to each other, the peaks of the surfaces are broken in the zones of their contact. In those collisions of the micropeaks numerous processes take place simultaneously:

 

  1. The film (lubricant) is broken, which results in dry friction.
  2. The peaks are broken, which results in heat energy secretion on the level of 400°C to 1100°C (for medium carbon steel), appearance of fluidity and phase displacements.
  3. Movement of phases of formations (layers) on the surface of the body (steel), which results in the existence of electric energies and magnetic fields.
  4. The effect of all these consequences on the RVS particle.
  5. Mechanical effect on the RVS particle and break of the ties Si-O-Si: Si-O-OH-Metal; Si-O-OH etc.
  6. The appearance of the fluidity moment of the metal causes local micrometallurgic processes with the participation of RVS particles.
  7. RVS particles are re-oxidizing catalysts, restorers etc. since they have everything that is needed for that.

 

If we take into account that the mentioned processes take place without apparent influence of the environment due to their locality, we can ignore the influence of the external factors, such as oxygen.

So, after examining the process of formation of new phases in the contact zones and after making an analogy of the processes with those in metallurgy, we can make a conclusion that there is a possible correspondence of the physical-chemical processes.

We shall now examine the physical-chemical processes that take place.

The general formula of RVS is Mg6(Si4O10)(OH)8 with attending Fe, Ca, Ni. Ti, Cr, Cu, Pt, etc. as oxides and other groups.

The Larsen parameter implies the following (up to mass %)

SiO – 1%, SiO2 – 40%, Al2O3 – 1%, Fe2O3 – 3%, FeO – 1%, MgO – 40% etc.; H2O – (13 – 20%).

If we compare the figures with additives widely used in metallurgy, we shall once again notice some correspondence with the process of getting siliceous metals (Si–Ca, Ca–Si–Al), ferrosilicates (Fe–Si) etc.

When reactions take place under the mentioned factors on steel surface, we get an oxidation-reduction reaction that is the core: typical oscillatory chemical reactions binding the concentration of three substances. These processes have been thoroughly described in the works of G. Heinike "Tribochemistry" and I.K. Pokhodnia, V.I. Shvachko et al. "On the mechanism of influence of oxygen on metals".

It follows from the work of these scientists and others that:

For the formation of stable equilibrium of oxidation-reduction reactions in the tribosystem, it is necessary to bring in hydroxides comprising ions that are catalysts of metals of variable valency. Such circumstances are an obstacle of the formation of free radicals and their exit from the co-ordinating sphere. Due to that, the metal ions stay in the friction zone and thus they prevent the wear of the surfaces. We know on the basis of the mentioned works that water is a by-product of the oxidation-reduction reactions in various speeds of the reactions. The hydrophase formed in that way participates further in the process of reducing the friction force and wear of the tribosystem.

In the hydrosilicates of metals being used we have the physical end chemical composition mentioned above that depends on complicated conglomerates of octahedron and tetrahedron compounds with the ties Si–O–Si, Si–O–OH–Metal, etc.

In the mechanical end thermal influence part of the ties are broken and we get joint of the type Si–O–, Si–O–OH– and extraction of water H2O as a result of desorption of H from the metal and freeing of the constitutional water from the mineral. At the same time an active substitution process of ties proceeds due to the desorption of hydrogen and news ties are formed: Si–O–OH, Si–O–Fe, etc. This process leads to the appearance of the followinf reactions between the RVS crystals and the crystals of the phases of the metal:

Mg6[Si4O10](OH)8 + Fe2O3 + H2 → 4(MgFe)SiO4 + 5H2O

which is proved in practice by extracting a relatively big amount of water and a phase analysis of the surfaces after an interaction with RVS. This corresponds to the arguments of Heid and Bannister on the thermal transformation of serpentinites in accordance with the reaction:

We see two identical reactions that extract water where a possible mutual substitution of "olivine" to "forsterite + silica". Both of these reactions take place in identical circumstances with commensurable amount of energy consumption.

When examining further the processes in metallurgy and the processes that take place in the tribosystem being examined here, we get confident that they are similar in all circumstances and the energy consumption is on the same level.

So, the tribotechnical estimation of the geoactivators has to be made on the basis of their possibility to fulfill and activate micrometallurgic processes, as a result of which we are due to get surfaces of metalsilicates that are similar to forsterites (olivines). It means that originally the geoactivator has to correspond to certain figures: energy density, activity towards hydrogen, and interaction with water. We have to take into account its structure as well. Electric resistance and other properties play a significant role, too. All the geoactivators being use today have more or less the characteristics listed above.

Without going into the detail, we shall list the basic positive differences of RVS from the other geoactivators only:

 

  1. High specific electric resistance: 106Ωm, which promotes the blunting of electrochemical and electromagnetic phenomena and the reduction of wear.
  2. High (a bit lower than quartz) piezoelectric properties, which promotes the suppression of the triboelectric effect.
  3. Relative dielectric penetrability: 25-30 units, which is a proof of analogical forces of adhesion and cohesion (autohesion).
  4. Relative magnetic receptivity: ~0.2, which significantly strengthens the ability of autohesion of magnetic origin.
  5. Specific structure that permits to get anisotropic properties: when atoms of one flatness have strong covalent ties, the ties are weaker between parallel rows, which means that the forces that are necessary for the displacement of the layers of the geoactivator are lower than the forces of the tie with the metal.
  6. Low heat conductivity: tens of times lower than that of the well-known hard lubricants.
  7. Existence of hydrophase: water is included as layers in the structure of the geoactivator. It causes that strong hydrated layers joined by liquid layers are formed on the surfaces of the joints, which reduces the friction force.
  8. High hardness: by the plane "α", which promotes the resistance of wear and high limit of fluidity.

 

Conclusion and prospects of development

RVS Technology is a revolutionary thing, the application possibilities of which in industry and transport are huge. The traditional way of thinking about lubrication will have to be changed on a large front, which in its turn will cause opposition to changes in many people, including specialists.

The large-scale use of such a technology will take years, but due to its economic-ecological benefits its penetration is guaranteed. The biggest benefits may have those who are able to use the RVS Technology among the first, no matter whether we talk about a private consumer with his or her car or an engine or gearbox manufacturer.