Wet Sliding Wear Behavior of EN31 Rolling Contact Bearings for Screw Compressor Application with Statistical Analysis

Abstract

The aim of this work is to estimate the wear rate of EN31 material & obtain the line of best fit using statistical analysis of wear. In industrial screw compressors, EN31 is used as a material of construction for cylindrical roller bearings. The wet sliding phenomenon between the outer surface of the inner race of the rolling contact bearing & the outer surface of the cylindrical roller is simulated using pin-on-disk tribometer. Measurement of wear, friction force & friction coefficient is carried out by rubbing different cylinders of hardened EN31 against hardened EN31 disk of the pin-on-disk tribometer. Total 25 tests each of 10 minutes time duration are performed to estimate wear with variable loads in the range of 20 N to 100 N and speed in the range of 692 RPM to 1246 RPM. From experimental investigation using pin-on-disk tribometer & statistical analysis using MINITAB© commercial software, it is observed that the material wear rate of EN31 increases with the increase in load as well as increase in speed. From pin-on-disk experimentation & statistical analysis it is concluded that the load factor has higher effect on wear than the speed factor. It was observed that the wear increases with the load as well as with the speed.