Microprocessor Control of Running-in of Plain Bearings

Correct running-in procedures have a major influence on the subsequent life and performance of a plain bearing. With very large bearings, the process can be both time-consuming and expensive.

It is necessary to control the running-in conditions very carefully, since too thick a lubricant film, will retard the running-in, while too little lubrication will lead to overheating and possible damage or even seizure. Since the surface topography is changing continuously during running-in, the optimum lubrication condition also changes.

This paper describes a new bearing rig in which running-in parameters are monitored and fed to a microprocessor which, in turn, controls the loading and speed conditions. The objective is to obtain correct running-in, in the minimum possible time.     

Experimental Investigation of Thermal and Hydrodynamic Effects on Radially Grooved Thrust Washer Bearings

In this study, an experimental investigation on the effects of grooves on thrust washer bearings is investigated. Eight equally sized grooves are machined about 100 μ m deep into one side of a flat-faced steel washer. This thrust washer bearing is located between a helical gear and its carrier and is tested on a test rig capable of measuring frictional torque and the temperature of the bearing at different speeds. It is found that the grooved washers had lower bearing temperatures and failed at significantly higher loads than the control washer with no grooves. For a test procedure with varying operating conditions, the coefficient of friction is also significantly lower for the grooved washers. However, the grooved washers had about the same coefficient of friction as the control washers at each step when the speeds are very high. The results from various tests suggest that the increased amount of lubricant passing through the grooved surface of the washer removes heat from the washer bearing by convection. This decrease in stored heat conducted from friction deters thermoelastic instabilities and the reduction of hydrodynamic stiffness due to the decrease in viscosity. Enhanced hydrodynamic load-carrying capacity is also evident in the grooved washers test results.     

Effect of Thermochemical Treatments on the Sliding Wear Mechanisms of Steels Under Boundary Lubrication

The effect of heat treatment, carburizing and plasma nitriding on the material-removal mechanisms and wear behavior of steels under boundary-lubricated conditions has been studied. A controlled procedure using mild abrasives under a light load was adopted in order to avoid long-term effects from severe wear in the running-in stage of pin-on-disc testing. Electron microscopy of the sliding surfaces showed that wear of the untreated steel took place by abrasive and adhesive mechanisms. Heat treatment by austenitizing, quenching and tempering (through-hardening) reduced the wear rate and carburizing produced a further reduction. The principal wear mechanisms in the both through-hardened and carburized steels was abrasive and delamination wear with adhesive wear being unimportant. Electron microscopy on cross-sections through the sliding surfaces of the carburized and through hardened steels showed extensive plasticity, cracks, and delaminated wear phenomena. The elimination of adhesive wear as a major wear mechanism is attributed to the influence of hardness on junction growth and the emergence of delamination wear to the effect of nano-crystalline carbides on fatigue life. Plasma nitriding resulted in an additional reduction in wear rate and the effective elimination of delamination wear. Electron microscopy on the plasma-nitrided steel revealed the presence of a dispersion of white layer regions, which raised the yield strength but also - resulted in micro-pitting due to a deformation mismatch with the matrix.     

Study of the Tribological Behavior of a Thrust Washer Bearing

This study addresses the mechanisms that distress a flat-faced thrust washer bearing system. This washer bearing system separates a helical gear and its carrier within a gearset. It was found that the bearing can experience distress by the combination of rotational speed, axial load, and the sequence and rate of their application. Distress is defined as a sudden rise in the real-time frictional torque and temperature.

The various tests suggest the presence of hydrodynamic effects at certain rotational speeds and axial load combinations marked by decreases in the calculated effective coefficient of friction with decreases in velocity. In the tested cases, a distinct increase in the coefficient of friction occurs at the instant of distress.     

A New Method for Measuring the Film Thickness of Mixed Lubrication in Line Contacts

In the present paper, an optical method, called frustrated total reflection (FTR), for measuring the film thickness of mixed lubrication in line contacts is proposed. The principles of FTR are analyzed. The relationship between the reflectivity and the film thickness is derived. The measuring methods and procedures are described.     

Surface Films and Soluble Degradation Products Formed in a PFPAE Fluid and Their Implications to the Wear of Steel

The soluble degradation products were generated in a linear perfluoropolyalkylether (PFPAE) fluid in boundary lubrication. Perfluoropolyalkylether carboxylic acid species were found in the residual fluids from the sliding tests by vibration spectroscopy. Surface-bound organic and inorganic reaction products were identified by vibration microspectroscopy with a grazing angle objective attachment and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), respectively. Inorganic surface films were found to be composed primarily of FeF₃. A monodentate perfluorocarboxylate surface species was found on the sliding surfaces in 50° and 100°C tests but not found in 150°C tests. The higher friction and wear in 150°C tests as compared to 50° and 100°C tests were attributed to the absence of the perfluorocarboxylate species over the sliding surfaces at high temperatures.     

Application of Transient Elastohydrodynamic Lubrication Analysis for Gear Transmissions

Transient elastohydrodynamic lubrication theory which deals with the lubrication of gear transmission is presented. A numerical procedure was developed to solve the governing equations for the transient EHL with variable load, curvature, and rolling velocity along the line of action. The compressibility of the fluid is taken into consideration. Results are presented for the pressure distribution and the film thickness successively along the line of action as a function of time. A parametric study was conducted to investigate the effects of geometry factors on the lubrication behavior of a gear transmission. Parameters of interest are gear ratio, central distance, gear tooth module, and profile shift of gear tooth. The results of extensive simulations for gear tooth lubrication show that the equivalent curvature radius of gear teeth plays an important role on the EHL film formation.     

Lubricating Performance of Organic Sulfides Under Repeated Rubbing Conditions

Repeated four-ball tests of squalane with or without organic sulfides have been carried out to investigate the relationship between the properties of surface film formed on the rubbing surfaces and the lubricating performance of several organic sulfides.

With dibenzyl disulfide and dibenzyl monosulfide, friction was remarkably reduced and load-carrying capacity raised in the second run with the additive after the first run without the additive, presumably in which only an oxide film had been formed. In contrast, for diphenyl disulfide, the repetition of rubbing tests, each with additive, was effective.

EPMA, XPS(ESCA) and electron diffraction techniques have been applied to examine surface films formed during rubbing process. It is confirmed that the formation of surface films with the optimum composition of oxide and sulfide has brought about the excellent lubricating performance of these organic sulfides.     

The Effect of Pulsed Laser Annealing on Wear and Corrosion Properties of Electroless Ni-P Plating

Electroless nickel-phosphorous alloy was plated onto quenched and hardened stainless steel. Laser surface treatments by YAG laser beams were carried out with the objective of improving -both the wear and the corrosion resistance of the platings. The friction and wear properties of the laser-treated platings were compared to unplated, untreated plated, and 400°C heat-treated plated substrates in pin-on-disc tests under unlubricated conditions. It was shown that laser treatments gave about a ten percent reduction in the friction coefficient compared with unplated substrates, and that controlled laser-treated plating improved the wear resistance of untreated plating to a level equivalent to 400°C heat-treated plating. It was found that the salt-spray corrosion resistance of the laser-treated platings was much greater than the unplated material and the 400°C heat-treated plating. The laser treatment is capable of improving both wear and corrosion resistance; and the wear resistance is externally governed by the hardness of the plating, and the corrosion resistance is governed by the crystal structure, especially the amount of amorphous nickel.     

Carbon-Coated Sliders and Their Effect on Carbon Oxidation Wear

Alumina-titanium carbide composite sliders used in magnetic recording were coated with diamondlike carbon (DLC) to permit exploration of their effect on tribochemical wear. For comparison, testing was performed on both coated and uncoated sliders. Gases sampled directly from the sliding interface between a carbon-coated thin-film magnetic recording disk and the slider contained carbon dioxide in both dry nitrogen and dry oxygen environments. In the oxygen environment, uncoated sliders produce carbon dioxide at a rate 10 times greater than coated sliders. This suggests that catalysts in the slider composite material are necessary for carbon oxidation wear.     

Transmission Electron Microscopy of Boundary-Lubricated Bearing Surfaces. Part I: Mineral Oil Lubricant

Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) was performed on the near-surface material (depth <500 nm) of tapered roller bearing inner rings (cones) that were tested at two levels of boundary-lubricated conditions in mineral oil with no additives. Site-specific thinning of cross section cone surface sections for TEM analyses was conducted using the focused ion beam (FIB) milling technique. High-resolution structural and compositional characterization of near-surface material and surface layers was performed on an untested cone as well as cones tested at Λ～1.1 and 0.3. This approach revealed near-surface microstructural distortion and grain size gradients that were attributed to surface finishing operations during manufacture. The characteristics of oxide surface layers and micro-cracks on the tested bearing surfaces were evaluated and found to depend on lubrication conditions.     

Relation Between Shear Relaxation and Molecular Structure of Lubricating Oils

The viscoelastic property of various lubricating oils was measured with the oscillating crystal technique. The relation between the shear relaxation behavior and the molecular structure of the lubricating oils is discussed. Eyring's theory for viscous flow is used to explain the relaxation behavior from a molecular point of view. Some insight into a procedure for estimating the relaxation time from the molecular structure is presented.     

Transmission Electron Microscopy of Boundary-Lubricated Bearing Surfaces. Part II: Mineral Oil Lubricant with Sulfur-and Phosphorus-Containing Gear Oil Additives

Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) was performed on cross-sectional samples of tapered roller bearing cone surfaces that were tested at two levels of local boundary lubrication severity, Λ ～ 1.1 and 0.3. Unlike our previously reported work in which a base mineral oil was used, the bearing tests were conducted in mineral oil with sulfur- and phosphorus-containing gear oil additives. Structural and compositional characterization of undetached antiwear surface layers on the base steel (cone raceway) revealed that the films contained crystalline and amorphous regions. A sharp interface (<～10 nm) that separated the surface layer and base steel was imaged. The surface layer for the cone tested at Λ ～ 1.1 consisted of Fe, O, and P, whereas that for the cone tested at Λ ～ 0.3 consisted of Fe, O, P, C, Ca, and S. Various TEM analytical techniques were used to study the segregation of these elements throughout the antiwear surface layer volume.     

Thermohydrodynamic Behavior of Misaligned Plain Journal Bearings: Theoretical and Experimental Approaches

Hydrodynamic journal bearings are essential components for supporting and guiding the rotating shafts of high-speed machinery. Manufacturing defects in assembly or thermal distortions may introduce problems during running, such as misalignment. The destructive effects of this kind of running problem have justified the development of a numerical model to predict the bearing operating characteristics under steady-state conditions. The present work presents in detail the three-dimensional thermohydrodynamic approach adopted in this study in order to consider the thermal field variations. This model also includes lubricant film rupture and reformation phenomena by conserving the mass flow rate. In addition, an experimental validation is made by comparison with measurements carried out on our test device for various operating conditions and misalignment torques. The influence of misalignment direction is also investigated by considering numerical and experimental approaches used in the study of bearing behavior variations.     

Lubrication of Ceramics by Tribopolymerization: A Designed Experiment to Determine Effects of Monomer Structure,Load, and Speed on Wear

An experimental study of ceramic lubrication by tribopolymerization at high loads and high speeds, using a pin-on-disk (fixed ball-on-flat) machine with alumina-on-alumina, is presented. In order to extend the range of applied loads and sliding velocities beyond those used in previous studies, a three-factor, two-level designed experiment was carried out to determine the effects of monomer structure, load, and speed on wear. Five monomers of widely varying chemical structure were used at one percent concentration in a hydrocarbon carrier fluid, hexadecane. They consisted of (a) one condensation-type monomer, a partial glycol ester of a longchain dimer acid, and (b) four vinyl-type addition monomers. Two levels of load (40 and 160 N) and speed (0.25 and 1.0 m/s) - each varying by a factor of four were used; thus the range of frictional heat generation was 16 to 1.

The results of this study were rather surprising and changed our thinking on the mechanism(s) by which monomers can act to reduce ceramic wear. For example, at low speeds — regardless of load — the monomers used were very effective in reducing wear, with reductions ranging from 44 to 98 percent depending on the monomer and load. However, at high speeds, the monomers were generally ineffective; in some cases, increases in wear were observed. This was unexpected.

Possible explanations for this behavior — including surface temperature effects and tribochemical reactions — are discussed. Results presented on Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) Spectroscopy of worn ceramic surfaces and wear debris show that the film-formation from the monomer solutions is complex, involving a combination of aluminum soap formation as well as evidence of oligomer/polymer formation in some cases, notably diallyl phthalate.     

Extreme Pressure Lubrication and Wear. The Chemical Reactivity and the Extreme Pressure Action of Two Aliphatic Disulfides

Reaction rates were studied for the action of di-tert-octyl disulfide and di-n-cetyl disulfide in white oil on iron powder over the temperature range 165–250 C. The data were fitted to the Arrhenius equation, and the tertiary disulfide was found to be 1500 times as reactive as the normal disulfide. White oil solutions of the two disulfides were subjected to the Falex test and to the four-ball extreme-pressure test, and the tertiary disulfide was found to be the more effective lubricant additive in these tests. Wear studies were carried out with a pin and disk apparatus under conditions which approximated the above bench tests as regards specimen material, rubbing speed and pressure. The complex nature of the course of wear made it difficult to compare the two disulfides quantitatively. It was found that the tertiary disulfide was 2 to 20 times as efficacious as the normal disulfide in reducing the terminal steady-state wear rate. By treating the additive action of the disulfides as a competition between the rate of metallic adhesion and the rate of chemical reaction with iron, it is possible to reconcile the wide discrepancy between the relative chemical reactivity and the relative additive action of the two disulfides in a quantitative fashion.     

Tribological Performance of Diamond and Diamondlike Carbon Films at Elevated Temperatures

In this study, the authors investigated the tribological performance of diamond and diamondlike carbon (DLC) films as a function of temperature. Both films were deposited on silicon carbide (SiC) by microwave plasma chemical vapor deposition and ion-beam deposition processes. Tribological tests were performed on a reciprocating wear machine in open air (20 to 30% relative humidity) and under a 10 N load using SiC pins. For the test conditions explored, the steady-state friction coefficients of test pairs without a diamond or DLC film were 0.7 to 0.9 and the average wear rates of pins were 10^?5 to 10^?7 mm³/N·m, depending on ambient temperature. DLC films reduced the steady-slate friction coefficients of the test pairs by factors of three to five and the wear rates of pins by two to three orders of magnitude. Low friction coefficients were also obtained with the diamond films, but wear rates of the counterface pins were high due to the very abrasive nature of these films. The wear of SiC disks coated with either diamond or DLC films was virtually unmeasurable while the wear of uncoated disks was substantial. Test results showed that the DLC films could afford low friction up to about 300° C. At higher temperatures, the DLC films graphitized and were removed from the surface. The diamond films could withstand much higher tempera-lures, but their tribological behavior degraded. Raman spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy were used to elucidate the friction and wear mechanisms of both films at high temperatures.     

Effect of Particle Size on the Wear Resistance of Alumina-Filled PTFE Micro- and Nanocomposites

It was long supposed that the ability of hard particle fillers to reduce the wear rate of unfilled PTFE (typically ～ 10^{? 3} mm ³ /Nm) by an order of magnitude or more was limited to fillers of microscale or greater, as nano-fillers would likely be encapsulated within the large microscale PTFE wear debris rather than disrupting the wear mechanism. Recent studies have demonstrated that nano-fillers can be more effective than microscale fillers in reducing wear rate while maintaining a low coefficient of friction. This study attempts to further elucidate the mechanisms leading to improved wear resistance via a thorough study of the effects of particle size. When filled to a 5% mass fraction, 40- and 80-nm alumina particles reduced the PTFE wear rate to a ～ 10^?7 mm ³ /Nm level, two orders of magnitude better than the ～ 10^?5 mm ³ /Nm level with alumina micro-fillers at sizes ranging from 0.5 to 20 μm. Composites with alumina filler in the form of nanoparticles were less abrasive to the mating steel (stainless 304) countersurfaces than those with microparticles, despite the filler being of the same material. In PTFE containing a mixture of both nano- and micro-fillers, the higher wear rate microcomposite behavior predominated, likely the result of the continued presence of micro-fillers and their abrasion of the countersurface as well as any overlying beneficial transfer films. Despite demonstrating such a large effect on the wear rate, the variation of alumina filler size did not demonstrate any significant effect on the friction coefficient, with values for all composites tested additionally falling near the μ = 0.18 measured for unfilled PTFE at this study's 0.01 m/s sliding speed.     

The Effects of Dopants on the Chemistry and Tribology of Sputter-Deposited MoS2 Films

The fact. that dopants improve the friction and wear properties of sputtered MoS₂ films is well known. However, the role of dopants in the mechanisms governing friction and wear are not well understood. The purpose of this work is to gain a fundamental understanding of their role by co-depositing a number of materials, i.e., Ni, Fe, Au, and. Sb₂O₃, with MoS₂ and evaluating their effects on film chemistry, crystallinity, microstructure, and tribology. Friction and wear measurements were collected, using ball-on-flat and dual-rub shoe tribom-eters. Other physical and chemical properties were obtained using SEM, XPS, XRD) and Raman spectroscopy. Crystalline MoS₂ was seen in all of the films. In Sb₂O₃-doped films, an amorphous phase was also observed. The presence of dopants caused film densification and affected crystallite size. They had little effect on the overall crystallite orientation. In addition, dopants caused a reduction in the mean and. variance of the friction coefficient and an increase in wear life. The correlation between dopants, film properties, and tribology is discussed in detail.