A hexagonal boron nitride-based model of porous bearings with reduced friction and increased load

Abstract

An attempt has been made to learn how a two-phase fluid used as a lubricant of porous bearings could improve their load-carrying capacity. Two sets of bearings were chosen for friction and loading experiments. The first one comprised a self-lubricating porous bearing impregnated with oil and the two-phase fluid, and in the other the two-phase fluid was externally delivered to the bearings. The results showed that the two-phase fluid had a better friction-reducing capacity and a higher load-carrying performance than ordinary porous bearings impregnated with the oil. It is demonstrated that the novel model of the bearings (the so-called second-generation bearings) with the two-phase fluid ensures a fairly efficient lubrication under low friction and high load-carrying capacity. A novel lubrication mechanism, involving a lamellar particulate phase in blocking and unblocking the pores during contact load, has been suggested.