Experimental study on friction coefficient and temperature rise of heavy-load grease-lubricated spherical plain bearings with surface texture

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jinlong Shen ◽  
Tong Zhang ◽  
Jimin Xu ◽  
Xiaojun LIU ◽  
Kun Liu

Purpose This paper aims to improve the tribological performance of grease-lubricated spherical plain bearings (SPBs) under heavy load, dimple-type textures were prepared by laser on the outer surface of the inner ring. The influence of roughness parameters of a textured surface on reducing friction coefficient and temperature rise was also explored. Design/methodology/approach This study adopts a laser processing method to fabricate dimple-type textures. Three-dimensional roughness parameters were used to characterize the textured surfaces. The friction coefficients of five SPBs with surface texture and one original commercially available SPB without surface texture under different nominal loads were measured on a self-established test rig. The data of temperature rise were obtained by nine embedded thermal couples. Findings The results indicate that SPBs with textures generally exhibit lower friction coefficients than the original SPB without textures. The dimple depth has a significant influence on improving the tribological performance, which coincides with the analysis by surface roughness parameters. A textured surface with negative Ssk and high Vvc has the minimum temperature rise. Originality/value As it is too difficult to arrange sensors into heavy-load SPBs, there are few reports about the temperature characteristics. Through nine embedded thermal couples, the distribution of temperature rise on the inner ring of SPBs was given in this study. The positive effect of surface texture on reducing temperature rise and friction coefficient was verified, which is beneficial for the design of heavy-load SPBs.

2018 ◽  
Vol 70 (7) ◽  
pp. 1350-1359 ◽  
Author(s):  
Minghua Pang ◽  
Xiaojun Liu ◽  
Kun Liu

Purpose This study aims to clarify the influence mechanism of surface texture (arrays of circular/square and concave/convex) on the frictional properties of WC-TiC/Co cemented carbide under a water-miscible cutting fluid (JAEGER SW-105, 5 per cent) environment. Design/methodology/approach Four types of textured cemented carbide surfaces (arrays of circular/square and concave/convex that have different textured densities and sizes) were fabricated using laser surface technology. Pin-on-disc tests between an AISI 304 stainless steel ball and WC-TiC/Co cemented carbide samples were carried out for a variety of normal loads (1, 3 and 5 N) under a water-miscible cutting fluid environment. The effects of textured type, density and size on the friction coefficient were obtained. Findings Compared to a smooth surface, some textured samples successfully resulted in a reduced friction coefficient. The friction coefficient of textured WC-TiC/Co cemented carbide samples depended greatly on the textured type, density and size. Given the increase in textured density (ranging from 10 to 30 per cent), the friction coefficient of the test samples first decreased and then increased for all normal loads (1, 3 and 5 N), and the minimum friction coefficient was obtained at the textured density of 20 per cent. The concave textured surface showed obvious advantages in friction coefficient reduction regardless of textured density, size and normal load compared with the convex textured surface. Finally, the correlation between textured diameter/length and Hertzian contact width was studied for various normal loads and texture sizes. A 2.6 ratio of textured diameter/length to Hertzian contact width is recommended under for lubricated sliding contact with the water-miscible cutting fluid. Originality/value The main contribution of this work is in providing a design reference and obtaining an essential understanding on the effect of surface texture (arrays of circular/square and concave/convex) on the friction of WC-TiC/Co cemented carbide under a water-miscible cutting fluid environment.


2019 ◽  
Vol 72 (3) ◽  
pp. 427-431
Author(s):  
Ke Li ◽  
Xiuping Dong ◽  
Mingji Huang ◽  
Ping Chen

Purpose This paper aims to improve the wear resistance of metal rubber microfilaments and the service life. The effect of surface texture by laser processing on the fretting friction properties of metal rubber microfilaments was studied. Design/methodology/approach The LQL-F20A laser marking machine was used to fabricate a ring groove array with equal spacing and dense arrangement on the surface of metal rubber microfilaments. The test was carried out with a self-made micro-dynamic frictional tester. The topography of the microfilaments was observed by scanning electron microscopy and analyzed. Findings It has shown that laser surface texturing can improve the wear performance of microfilaments. Under the same experimental conditions, the microfilaments of textured surface has a smaller depth of wear than un-textured specimen. The wear resistance increases with the increase of texture density. The friction coefficient of textured specimen is significantly reduced compared with un-textured specimen, and the surface texture density of microfilaments has little influence on the friction coefficient after stabilization. In the stage of stable fretting wear, the wear depth will be more with the increase of the load. Originality/value There is little research on metal rubber microfilaments tribological properties. In this paper, the effect of laser texturing of microfilaments on micro-dynamic friction properties was studied by friction machine to provide a reference for the application of metal rubber in aerospace, medical and other fields.


2018 ◽  
Vol 70 (7) ◽  
pp. 1341-1349 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zumin Wu ◽  
Chenxing Sheng ◽  
Zhiwei Guo ◽  
Yifei Li ◽  
Reza Malekian ◽  
...  

Purpose Water-lubricated bearings can significantly reduce the pollution to environment because the traditional oil lubricant is replaced by water in the bearings. The ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) has proven to be effective and reliable for the manufacturing of water-lubricated bearings. However, limited work has been done to address the improvement of the tribological performance of the UHMWPE-based water-lubricated bearings using surface texture processing. This paper aims to investigate the effects of bar-grooved surface on the tribological performance improvement of UHMWPE-based water-lubricated bearings. Design/methodology/approach For the first time, the bar grooves were processed on the surfaces of UHMWPE-based water-lubricated bearings. The CBZ-1 friction and wear tester have been used to test the wear and friction performance of the bearing samples. The LI laser interference surface contour graph and the digital microscope have been used to measure the surface morphology of the specimens. The tribological characteristics of the tested bearings were analyzed. Findings With bar grooves added on the surfaces of the specimens, the friction coefficient of the specimens were lower than that of the specimens without surface texture processing; the wear quantity of the two kinds of specimens were almost the same; by using the LI laser interference surface contour graph and the digital microscope to measure the surface morphology of the specimens, the furrows of the specimens with bar grooves were narrower and shallower than that of the specimens without bar grooves. Practical implications The paper implicates that the surface texture processing using bar grooves can reduce the friction coefficient and prolong the service life of the water-lubricated bearings in practical applications. Originality/value This paper fulfills an identified need to provide important theoretical and experimental support to the design of water-lubricated bearings in practical applications.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (11) ◽  
pp. 4738
Author(s):  
Junjie Lu ◽  
Tianrui Wang ◽  
Xuexing Ding ◽  
Hui Song ◽  
He Li

Bi-composite surface texture configurations are proposed to study the friction performance of a mechanical seal under low speed. Three sets of comparative experiments were designed. They involved friction pairs with different pairing materials, single texture patterns, and bi-composite surface texture configurations. Tribological performances, such as friction coefficient, wear quantity, and surface topography, were measured. The research results showed that the average friction coefficient and surface temperature rise of the 3-C3 group (triangular texture in SSiC–conventional spiral groove in SSiC) were only 0.052 and 3.8 °C, respectively, which was the smallest friction coefficient and lowest temperature rise of all the test subjects. What’s more, the wear of M120D was mainly caused by the cutting effect of the texture edges, the adhesive wear of the non-textured areas, and the secondary wear caused by debris from the internal texture. It was indicated that the bi-composite patterns of spiral-triangle could produce a ‘synergistic effect’ by improving tribological performance and reaching lower friction in low-rotational-speed operation, which could provide a basis for designing a long-lasting and exceptionally reliable mechanical seal.


2017 ◽  
Vol 69 (4) ◽  
pp. 433-446 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fanming Meng ◽  
Zhitao Cheng ◽  
Tiangang Zou

Purpose This study aims to explore the superiority of the compound dimple (e.g. the rectangular-rectangular dimple) and compare its tribological performance for rough parallel surfaces with those of the traditional one-layer dimple (simple dimple). Design/methodology/approach A mixed-lubrication model for a rough textured surface is established and solved using the finite difference method for film pressure and contact pressure. To accelerate the evaluation of surface deformation, the efficient Continuous convolution fast Fourier transform algorithm is applied. The effects of the compound dimple on the tribological performance for the rough parallel surfaces is numerically investigated. And these effects are compared with those of the simple dimple. Furthermore, a reciprocating friction test is conducted to verify the superiority of the compound dimple. Findings The compound dimple exhibits better tribological performances in comparison with the traditional simple dimple, that is, a larger load-carrying capacity and a smaller friction coefficient. To achieve the best tribological performances for the rough parallel surfaces, the depth ratio of the lower pore to the total pore of the compound dimple and the dimple interval should be reasonably chosen. For the surface with compound dimples, there exists an optimal surface roughness to simultaneously maximize the load-carrying capacity and minimize the friction coefficient. The smaller friction coefficient of the surface with compound dimples is verified by the reciprocating friction test. Originality/value The compound dimple is proposed and the superiority of this novel surface texture is confirmed. This study is expected to provide a new texturing method to improve the tribological performances of the traditional simple dimple.


2018 ◽  
Vol 70 (2) ◽  
pp. 371-384 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xijun Hua ◽  
Xuan Xie ◽  
Bifeng Yin ◽  
Peiyun Zhang ◽  
Jinghu Ji ◽  
...  

Purpose This paper aims to find out the tribological performance and self-lubricating mechanism of the laser-textured surface filled with solid lubricant in rolling friction pair. Design/methodology/approach The textures on the surfaces of GCr15 bearing steel were produced by acousto-optic Q diode-pumped yttrium aluminum garnet laser with the technology of “single pulse one time, repeating at intervals” and filled with composite solid lubricant. The tribology tests were conducted on the MMW-1A universal friction and wear testing machine. Findings It was found that the solid-lubricated micro-textured surface can reduce the friction coefficient effectively. The MoS2/PI composite solid lubricant works better than the single MoS2 solid lubricant, and the ratio of PI/MoS2 + PI at 20 per cent is the best recipe. The friction coefficient of the sample surfaces decreases first and then increases with the increase in texture densities, and a texture density of 19.6 per cent has the best effect on friction reduction. The friction coefficient of the textured surfaces gradually decreases with the increase in both rational speed and load. For the same texture density, the friction coefficient of textured surfaces decreases slightly with the increase in diameter. Furthermore, the mechanism of “rolling-extrusion-accumulation” occurred on the textured surface can collect the solid lubricant, thereby, improve the effect of lubricating and anti-friction. Originality/value The results of the experimental studies demonstrated the application prospect of laser surfaces texturing combined with solid lubricant in rolling friction pair.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Junru Wang ◽  
Quandai Wang ◽  
Yueyan Li ◽  
Meiling Guo ◽  
Pengyang Li ◽  
...  

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effects of surface texture with roughness orientation considered on tribological properties under a mixed lubrication state numerically and experimentally. Design/methodology/approach Based on the average Reynolds equation and asperity contact model, the impacts of surface texture parameters and roughness orientation on lubrication properties have been calculated using finite difference method. Tin–bronze samples with various prescribed surface texture geometric parameters and roughness orientation were fabricated by laser surface texturing technique, and the tribology performance of the textured surface was studied experimentally. Findings The effects of surface geometric parameters and roughness orientation parameters have been discerned. The experimental observations are in good agreement with the numerical prediction, which suggests that the numerical scheme adopted in this work is suitable in capturing the surface texture and roughness effect under mixed lubrication state. Originality/value By meticulously controlling the surface roughness and surface texture geometric characteristics based on the laser surface texturing process, samples with prescribed surface texture parameters and roughness orientation consistent with that in theoretical studies were fabricated and the theoretical model and results were verified experimentally.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kawaljit Singh Randhawa ◽  
Ashwin Patel

Purpose This paper aims to investigate the tribological performance, i.e. abrasion resistance, friction coefficient and wear rates, of self-lubricated water conditioned polyamide6/boric oxide composites. Design/methodology/approach Polyamide6 and polyamide6/boric oxide self-lubricated composites were immersed in water for 15 days to analyze the effect of water conditioning on friction, wear and abrasion resistance. Tribological testing on pin-on-disc tribometer and abrasion resistance testing on TABER abrader were performed to see the friction coefficient and wear rates of materials. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) characterizations were performed to analyze the wear tracks. Findings Tribological testing results revealed the loss in abrasive resistance, but there was an improvement in frictional coefficient and wear rates with steel after water absorption. The SEM images clearly show less depth of wear tracks in water-conditioned materials than dry ones. Water conditioning was found supportive in the formation of smooth lubricating transfer film on steel disc during the tribological testing. Originality/value The tribological behaviour of polymer composites is different in dry and in high humidity or water conditions. Experiments were performed to investigate B2O3 solid lubricant filler effectiveness on tribological behaviour of water-conditioned polyamide composites. Bonding between polyamide6 and water molecules plus the formation of orthoboric acid was found advantageous in decreasing the friction coefficient and wear rates of composites.


2019 ◽  
Vol 71 (9) ◽  
pp. 1080-1085 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mingyu Zhang ◽  
Jing Wang ◽  
Yi Liu ◽  
Longjie Dai ◽  
Zhaohua Shang

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to use elastohydrodynamic lubrication (EHL) theory to study the variation of the equivalent curvature radius “R” on the change of oil film thickness, pressure, temperature rise and friction coefficient in the contact zone between bush-pin in industrial chain drive. Design/methodology/approach In this paper, the contact between bush and pin is simplified as infinitely long line contact. The lubrication state is studied by numerical simulation using steady-state line contact thermal EHL. The two constitutive equations, namely, Newton fluid and Ree–Eyring fluid are used in the calculations. Findings It is found that with the increase of equivalent curvature radius, the thickness of oil film decreases and the temperature rise increases. Under the same condition, the friction coefficient of Newton fluid is higher than that of Ree–Eyring fluid. When the load increases, the oil film thickness decreases, the temperature rise increases and the friction coefficient decreases; and the film thickness increases with the increase of the entraining speed under the condition “R < 1,000 mm”. Research limitations/implications The infinite line contact assumption is only an approximation. For example, the distances between the two inner plates are 5.72 mm, by considering the two parts assembled into the inner plates, the total length of the bush is less than 6 mm. The diameter of the pin and the bore diameter of the bush are 3.28 and 3.33 mm. However, the infinite line contact is also helpful in understanding the general variation of oil film characteristics and provides a reference for the future study of finite line contact of chain problems. Originality/value The change of the equivalent radius R on the variation of the oil film in the contact of the bush and the pin in industrial chain drive was investigated. The size effect influences the lubrication characteristic greatly in the bush-pin pair.


2020 ◽  
Vol 72 (6) ◽  
pp. 805-810
Author(s):  
Hua Zhang ◽  
Guangwu Zhou ◽  
Ping Zhong ◽  
Kepeng Wu ◽  
Xingwu Ding

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to study the influence of friction coefficient of materials with different elastic modulus on the variation of velocity and load under water lubrication and oil lubrication conditions. Design/methodology/approach Low-viscosity lubricating oil and water were used as lubricants to test the friction performance of the ball-disc contact friction pair in the lubrication state on the universal micro-tribometer multi-functional friction and wear test system. Findings In the same speed range, the lubrication states from soft to rigid materials are not necessarily similar to each other. Generally, the material with low elastic modulus is suitable in low-viscosity lubricant environments, while the material with high elastic modulus has relatively smaller friction coefficients in oil-lubricated environments compared with water lubrication. However, the coefficients of polyethylene, polytetrafluoroethylen and polyoxymethylene are exceeded by rubber’s coefficients under water lubrication in the same experiment environments, and their lubrication states are not affected by lubricants. The friction coefficient of the friction pair decreases with the increase of loads; however, it does not apply to all materials. The friction coefficients of materials with smaller elastic modulus such as rubber under high loads are rather large. Therefore, the elastic modulus of the material under high loads is a factor to be considered. Originality/value The Stribeck curves study of the ball-disk contact friction pair comprising soft and rigid materials, whose elastic modulus is from hundreds of GPa to a few of MPa, was carried out. The influence of different speeds, loads and lubricants on the friction coefficient of the friction pair was revealed, which provided a research basis for the selection and matching of friction pair materials.


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