Dataset of the article: Active control of friction in electrified ball bearing prototypes using electro-sensitive clay mineral-based lubricating fluids

This research highlights the development of electro-active eco-friendly lubricants by dispersing polarizable clay nanoparticles in castor oil. These smart fluids exhibit controllable viscosity and friction properties under applied electric fields, enabling reversible tuning of lubrication performance. Experiments showed enhanced friction control, improved lubricant retention, and promising dielectric strength, pointing to a sustainable approach for actively managing friction and load-bearing in mechanical systems through electric field modulation. Electro-rheological measurements were carried out in an ARES G2 controlled rate rheometer (TA Instruments, USA), equipped with a special electrorheocell, a Keysight 33210A electric field generator (Agilent, USA) and a Trek 609E-6 high-voltage power amplifier (Trek Inc., USA). Electro-tribological analysis was carried out in a Physica MCR-501 controlled stress rheometer (Anton Paar, Austria) equipped with a customized ball bearing arrangement, a 9183B voltage generator (BK Precision Corp, USA), and a Parstat 4000A potentiostat-galvanostat (Ametek, USA) [voltages up to 20 V] or a FUG 12500 generator (FUG, Germany) [voltages up to 1,000 V]. More info: https://doi.org/10.26599/FRICT.2025.9441023本研究聚焦于通过将可极化黏土纳米颗粒分散于蓖麻油中，开发电活性环保润滑剂。这类智能流体在外加电场作用下可呈现可控的黏度与摩擦特性，实现润滑性能的可逆调控。实验结果表明，该体系的摩擦调控能力得以增强、润滑保持性能得到改善，且介电强度表现优异，这为通过电场调制主动调控机械系统的摩擦与承载性能提供了一种可持续的解决方案。 研究采用ARES G2控制速率型流变仪（美国TA仪器公司）开展电流变测试，该设备配备专用电流变池、Keysight 33210A型电场发生器（美国安捷伦Agilent公司）以及Trek 609E-6型高压功率放大器（美国Trek公司）。电摩擦学分析则在Physica MCR-501控制应力型流变仪（奥地利安东帕Anton Paar公司）中进行，该设备搭载定制化滚珠轴承装置、9183B型电压发生器（美国BK Precision公司），以及Parstat 4000A型恒电位-恒电流仪（美国AMETEK公司，适配电压上限20 V）或FUG 12500型发生器（德国FUG公司，适配电压上限1000 V）。 更多信息：https://doi.org/10.26599/FRICT.2025.9441023