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At least 37 records · Page 2

Investigations of lubricant rheology as applied to elastohydrodynamic lubrication

Traction prediction in sliding elastohydrodynamic (EHD) contacts was examined along with an elastohydrodynamic lubrication simulation of the effects of load and speed on temperatures in the EHD contact. An existing shear stress theory and lubricant rheological model were studied and evaluated by applying them to traction prediction. Results obtained using measured film thickness and surface temperature data, were compared with measured traction values. The infrared technique for measuring temperatures in an EHD contact was further developed and ball surface and fluid temperatures are reported for sliding speeds of 0.35 to 5.08 m/s at 0.52 to 2.03 GN/sq m maximum pressure and surface roughnesses of .011 to .381 micrometers c.1.a. The relationship between asperity interaction, as measured by relocation surface profilimetry and high frequency temperature measurements, and the ratio of film thickness to surface roughness was also studied.

Kunz, R. K.↗

Oil-air mist lubrication as an emergency system and as a primary lubrication system

The feasibility of an emergency aspirator once-through lubrication system was demonstrated as a viable survivability concept for Army helicopter mainshaft engine bearings for periods as long as 30 minutes. It was also shown in an experimental study using a 46-mm bore bearing test machine that an oil-air mist once-through system with auxiliary air cooling is an effective primary lubrication system at speeds up to 2,500,000 DN for extended operating periods of at least 50 hours.

Loomis, W. R.↗

Investigations of lubricant rheology as applied to elastohydrodynamic lubrication

Measurements of lubricant shear rheological behavior in the amorphous solid region and near the liquid-solid transition are reported. Elastic, plastic and viscous behavior was observed. A shear rheological model based on primary laboratory data is proposed for concentrated contact lubrication. The model is a Maxwell model modified with a limiting shear stress. Three material properties are required: low shear stress viscosity, limiting elastic shear modulus, and the limiting shear stress the material can withstand. All three are functions of temperature and pressure. In applying the model to EHD contacts the predicted response possesses the characteristics expected from several experiments reported in the literature.

Bair, S.↗

Simulation of lubricating behavior of a thioether liquid lubricant by an electrochemical method

An electrochemical cell was constructed to explore the possible radical anion forming behavior of a thioether liquid lubricant. The electrochemical behavior of the thioether was compared with the electrochemical behavior of biphenyl, which is known to form radical anions. Under controlled conditions biphenyl undergoes a reversible reaction to a radical anion, whereas the thioether undergoes an irreversible reduction yielding several products. These results are discussed in relation to boundary lubrication.

Morales, W.↗

Simulation of lubricating behavior of a thioether liquid lubricant by an electrochemical method

An electrochemical cell was constructed to explore the possible radical anion forming behavior of a thioether liquid lubricant. The electrochemical behavior of the thioether was compared with the electrochemical behavior of biphenyl, which is known to form radical anions. Under controlled conditions biphenyl undergoes a reversible reaction to a radical anion, whereas the thioether undergoes an irreversible reduction yielding several products. These results are discussed in relation to boundary lubrication.

Morales, W.↗

Lubricating properties of molybdenum disulfide. Part 3: Performance of molybdenum disulfide-containing oils in fluid lubrication

The lubricating properties of a straight mineral oil with and without MoS2 powder were studied. Bearing testers of thrust-collar type and of journal bearing type were used for thin- and fluid-film conditions, respectively. The effectiveness of the MoS2 powder in the oil differed depending on the conditions of the rubbing surfaces. For fluid film conditions, considerable effects of the MoS2 were observed, in contrast to the thin-film cases. The addition of MoS2 powder was effective only when the lubricant film was formed between surfaces thickly enough to allow the inflow of MoS2 particles.

Soda, Norimune↗

High temperature self-lubricating coatings for air lubricated foil bearings for the automotive gas turbine engine

coating combinations were developed for compliant surface bearings and journals to be used in an automotive gas turbine engine. The coatings were able to withstand the sliding start/stops during rotor liftoff and touchdown and occasional short time, high speed rubs under representative loading of the engine. Some dozen coating variations of CdO-graphite, Cr2O3 (by sputtering) and CaF2 (plasma sprayed) were identified. The coatings were optimized and they were examined for stoichiometry, metallurgical condition, and adhesion. Sputtered Cr2O3 was most adherent when optimum parameters were used and it was applied on an annealed (soft) substrate. Metallic binders and interlayers were used to improve the ductility and the adherence.

Bhushan, B.↗

Ball Bearings Equipped for In Situ Lubrication on Demand

In situ systems that provide fresh lubricants to ball/race contacts on demand have been developed to prolong the operational lives of ball bearings. These systems were originally intended to be incorporated into ball bearings in mechanisms that are required to operate in outer space for years, in conditions in which lubricants tend to deteriorate and/or evaporate. These systems may also be useful for similarly prolonging bearing lifetimes on Earth. Reservoirs have been among the means used previously to resupply lubricants. Lubricant- resupply reservoirs are bulky and add complexity to bearing assemblies. In addition, such a reservoir cannot be turned on or off as needed: it supplies lubricant continuously, often leading to an excess of lubricant in the bearing. A lubricator of the present type includes a porous ring cartridge attached to the inner or the outer ring of a ball bearing (see Figure 1). Oil is stored in the porous cartridge and is released by heating the cartridge: Because the thermal expansion of the oil exceeds that of the cartridge, heating causes the ejection of some oil. A metal film can be deposited on a face of the cartridge to serve as an electrical-resistance heater. The heater can be activated in response to a measured increase in torque that signals depletion of oil from the bearing/race contacts. Because the oil has low surface tension and readily wets the bearing-ring material, it spreads over the bearing ring and eventually reaches the ball/race contacts. The Marangoni effect (a surface-tension gradient associated with a temperature gradient) is utilized to enhance the desired transfer of lubricant to the ball/race contacts during heating. For a test, a ball bearing designed for use at low speed was assembled without lubricant and equipped with a porous-ring lubricator, the resistance heater of which consumed a power of less than 1 W when triggered on by a torque-measuring device. In the test, a load of 20 lb (.89 N) was applied and the bearing was turned at a rate of 200 RPM. The lubricator control was turned on at the beginning of the test, turned off for about 800 seconds, then turned on again. As shown in Figure 2, the controlled lubricator stabilized the torque in a low range, starting immediately after initial turn-on and immediately after resumption of the lubricator control.

Marchetti, Mario↗

Status and New Directions for Solid Lubricant Coatings and Composite Materials

At one time, solid lubricants were used almost entirely in aerospace applications. Today there is a pronounced trend to use them over a much broader range of applications. For example, self-lubricating polymer-based composites have displaced traditional oil-lubricated, metallic composites for many journal bearings and thrust, washers in applications as diverse as earthmoving machinery and snow blowers to aircraft applications. For moderate temperatures below 200° C, glass filament-wound epoxy bearings with PTFE lubricating liners are useful; for temperatures up to 350° C, graphite fiber reinforced polyimide bearing materials are finding applications. Molybdenum disulfide, graphite, and PTFE are the most widely known and used solid lubricants, and there is increasing interest in the relatively new solid lubricant graphite fluoride. Advanced technology engines such as the adiabatic diesel and the small, efficient gas turbine have severe lubrication and wear problems at temperatures beyond the capabilities of any of these lubricants. Here, self-lubricating ceramics and inorganic composites for use at I000° C or higher are of interest. However, perhaps the most significant new direction for solid lubricant coatings and self-lubricating composites is their steadily increasing use in dry bearings for large volume, moderate temperature applications. This can be attributed to their simplicity of use (no supporting lubricant system needed), light weight, convenience, and general cost effectiveness.

Harold E Sliney↗

Effect of two synthetic lubricants on life of AISI 9310 spur gears

Spur-gear fatigue tests were conducted with two lubricants using a single lot of consumable-electrode vacuum-melted (CVM) AISI 9310 spur gears. The gears were case carburized and hardened to Rockwell C60. The gear pitch diameter was 8.89 cm. The lot of gears was divided into two groups, each of which was tested with a different lubricant. The test lubricants can be classified as synthetic polyol-ester-based lubricants. One lubricant was 30 percent more viscous that the other. Both lubricants have similar pressure viscosity coefficients. Test conditions included a bulk gear temperature of 350 K, a maximum Hertz stress of 1.71 GPa at the pitch line, and a speed of 10,000 rpm. The surface fatigue life of gears tested with one lubricant was approximately 2.4 times that for gears tested with the other lubricant. The lubricant with the 30 percent higher viscosity gave a calculated elastohydrodynamic (EHD) film thickness that was 20 percent higher than the other lubricant. This increased EHD film thickness is the most probable reason for the improvement in surface fatigue life of gears tested with this lubricant over gears tested with the less viscous lubricant.

Townsend, Dennis P.↗

New Vapor/Mist Phase Lubricant Formulated

To meet the increased thermal stresses of future advanced aircraft engines, new lubricants will have to be developed to replace the currently used ester-based liquid lubricants. If a suitable conventional replacement cannot be found, a different lubrication method will have to be used. The conventional method circulates bulk lubricant (stored in a sump) through a lubricating system containing cooling and filtering elements. Solid lubricants have been studied as a replacement for bulk liquid lubricants, and have been found to provide reasonable lubrication for lightly loaded systems. Solid lubricants, however, have proved inadequate for highly loaded, high-speed applications. Vapor/mist phase lubrication (VMPL), on the other hand, may be a viable alternative. VMPL has been used successfully to lubricate high-temperature bearings or gears. It can be used as an emergency backup system or as the primary source of lubrication. With VMPL, minimal weight is added to the system and minimal debris is formed. It works over a wide temperature range.

Morales, Wilfredo↗

Lubricant impacts on piston deposit formation in the Enterprise marine diesel research engine

The impact of lubricant formulation on piston deposits was studied using the Enterprise, a reduced-scale, single-cylinder, two-stroke crosshead marine diesel research engine. The Enterprise engine was specially designed for marine diesel lubricant research, with a custom reduced-scale cylinder lubricant injection system and extensive instrumentation of thermal boundary conditions on both the liner and piston. Lubricant conditions typical of full-scale marine diesel engines are obtained by matching mean piston speed, liner temperature profile, and combustion metrics to realistic values.Piston deposit thicknesses were measured after a set period of operation, with a focus on lubricant-based deposits on the lands and ring grooves, using both optical and contact-based measurement techniques. Engine operation for each lubricant was conducted according to a standardized protocol, with precise control of engine speed and load, cylinder lubricant injection rate, coolant temperatures, and system oil temperature; the liner and piston temperatures are continuously monitored during operation. After operation with each lubricant was completed, the engine was disassembled, and the piston and ring deposits were characterized. The piston was then thoroughly cleaned, and the lubricant system flushed, between each lubricant formulation being evaluated. The impacts on piston deposits of the lubricants being evaluated can thus be accurately quantified and are described herein.

Kaul, Brian↗

Rheology of synovial fluid and its role in joint lubrication

A review of studies by Barnett, Davies, MacConaill, Charnley, Ogston, Sundblad, and others indicates that there exists a tendency to explain the lubricating mechanism existing in synovial joints by either the lubricating properties of synovial fluid or the lubricating properties of the articular surfaces. The proponents of the respective hypothesis attempted to apply either the theory of hydrodynamic lubrication or the theory of boundary lubrication. Neither of these theories, however, can represent the lubrication mechanism in joints; both theories are too crude for this purpose. The nearest approach to reality appears to be represented by more recent elastohydrodynamic theories. It is the aim of this paper to show that both the synovial fluid and the articular cartilage play an important role in the joint lubrication, and that thixotropy of synovial fluid is the key parameter in the lubricating performance of the synovial fluid itself, and of the cartilage whose pores it fills. It will be suggested also that any pathological changes in either the synovial fluid or the articular cartilage, lead to a breakdown of joint lubrication.

LUBRICATION↗