Research on the Friction and Wear Properties of Dents Textured Rolling Element Bearings under Dry Wear

Abstract

To explore the effect of dents on the tribological behavior of the “washers-cage-rollers” system of rolling element bearings (REBs), the friction and wear properties of dents textured thrust cylindrical roller bearings (81107TN) with different diameters of dents (DAOD, 200, 250, 300 μm), depth of dents (DPOD, 4, 8, 12 μm) as well as circumferential interval angle (CFIA, 1.5°, 2.0°, 2.5°) were researched under dry wear. The surface stresses of REBs and the influence mechanism of dents were also compared and discussed. The results show that: due to the nylon film formed and left on the raceways, the coefficients of friction (COFs) of dents textured bearings are all higher than the average COF of smooth ones, while their wear losses may become higher or lower, depending on the combination of pattern parameters. The influence of the DPOD on the tribological performance of textured bearings is more significant than that of the DAOD. The results show that, when the DAOD and DPOD are 250 and 8 μm, respectively, compared with the smooth ones, the mass losses of bearings can be reduced by up to 49.22% under dry wear, which would be an important reference for the optimal design of the “washers-cage-rollers” system of REBs.