Measurement capabilities for ball bearing wear assessment

Wear measurement for research, control and minimization is mostly accomplished traditionally through gravimetric methods. An experimental study is developed to evaluate the alternative dimensional metrology capabilities. Standardized wear ball-on-flat tests are conducted for a set of steel balls against titanium alloy plates. Dimensional results are obtained through contact metrology of the parts and their surfaces, as well as contactless optical microscopy. Both volumetric and surface roughness metrology are analyzed. Results discussion shows the capability of dimensional metrology for wear assessment and the uncertainty behavior associated with the different methodologies. The complex wear process seems to be independent from conventional surface roughness measurement, but the experimental trials in areal methods suggest some parameters candidates for further research in relation with the coefficient of friction.