Methods of Evaluating the Wear Resistance of the Contact Surfaces of Rolling Bearings

Abstract

In modern conditions of development of mechanical engineering, high priority is given to experimental and material science aspects of assessing the wear resistance of conjugate friction surfaces, which consist of the selection of materials with high wear resistance characteristics. However, this way, you can only reduce the intensity of the wear process, but not control the wear process itself and, most importantly, the changes in the state and performance of the mating surfaces that occur as a result of the wear process. The durability of machines is laid down at the design stage and depends on the design scheme, materials used, lubricants, and other factors. An increase in the durability of mated machine parts is impossible without creating modern engineering methods for calculating wear resistance, which would consider the physical and mechanical characteristics of materials (friction pairs, modes of operation of the load node, and angular velocity), external friction conditions (environment, and lubrication), as well as the design and technological features of the friction interface. During the wear of two contiguous bodies, the unevenness of one surface is exposed to the unevenness of the other surface. In this case, the irregularities of the more durable material act similarly to the abrasive elements, cutting off the thin chip from the micro-irregularities of the surface of the less durable material. At the same time, the irregularities that cut this chip wear themselves out, just as cutting abrasive tools wear out.