WEAR AND FAILURE MODEL FOR LIFETIME ESTIMATION OF SOLID LUBRICATED ROLLING CONTACTS

Solid lubricants are applied in rolling bearings when conventional oil and grease lubrications do not meet the advanced requirements of modern technology. One factor which limits the application of solid lubricated rolling bearings is the absence of lifetime estimation. In contrast to conventional liquid lubricated rolling bearings, for which the lifetime can be calculated with the Lundberg and Palmgren theory based on contact fatigue, there is no calculation available for solid lubricated rolling bearings. In this paper, a prediction method of lifetime based on wear and failure models is represented. A modified dynamic four ball tester, used in testing dry lubricated rolling contacts, is also introduced.Copyright © 2005 by ASME