Friction and wear behaviour of self lubricating bearing liners

• Main Author: Gay, Russell
• Published: Cardiff University 2013
• Subjects: 621.8; TJ Mechanical engineering and machinery
• Online Access: http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.577942

The thesis describes a numerical model for evaluating the variation of friction and wear of a self lubricating bearing liner over its useful wear life. Self-lubricating bearings have been in widespread use since the mid-1950s, particularly in the aerospace industry where they have the advantage of being low maintenance components. They are commonly used in relatively low speed, reciprocating applications such as control surface actuators, and usually consist of a spherical bearing with the inner and outer elements separated by a composite textile resinbonded liner. A finite element model has been developed to predict the local stiffness of a particular liner at different states of wear. Results obtained using the model were used to predict the overall friction coefficient as it evolves due to wear, which is a novel approach. Experimental testing was performed on a bespoke flat-on-flat wear test rig with a reciprocating motion to validate the results of the friction model. These tests were carried out on a commercially-available bearing liner, predominantly at a high contact pressure and an average sliding speed of 0.2 ms-1. Good agreement between predicted and experimentally measured wear was obtained when appropriate coefficients of friction were used in the friction model, and when the reciprocating sliding distance was above a critical value. A numerical wear model was also developed to predict the trend of backlash development in real bearing geometries using a novel approach. Results from the wear model were validated against full-scale bearing tests carried out elsewhere by the sponsoring company. Good agreement was obtained between the model predictions and the experimental results for the first 80% of the bearing wear life, and explanations for the discrepancy during the last 20% of the wear life have been proposed.