Tribological Performances of Diatom Shell with Porous Structure

Due to the elaborate porous structure and good mechanical performances of a diatom shell, the representative Coscinodiscus sp. was modeled and its tribological performances were studied using a liquid-solid interaction method. The diatom shell with the elaborate porous structure was observed by using scanning electron microscopy. The tribological performances (load-carrying capacity or called pressure-resistance ability, friction force and friction coefficient) of the diatom were analyzed using the computational fluid dynamics theory, considering the diatom shell of various pore diameters, depths and spaces between the pores. The numerical results show that the porous structure for the diatom shell increased its load-carrying capacity and reduced friction against ambient water. With increasing pore diameter or pore depth, the load-carrying capacity for the diatom shell increased while friction coefficient decreased.