The effect of surface texturing on seizure resistance of a steel–bronze assembly

The tribosystem consisted of a stationary block pressed at a required load P against a ring rotating at a defined speed. Sliding was unidirectional. Block samples, made from bronze CuSn10P with 138-HB hardness, were modified using a burnishing technique to obtain surfaces with circular oil pockets. Rings were made from 42CrMo4 steel, of hardness 40 HRC, which was obtained after heat treatment. Tests were conducted at a constant speed of 0.27 m/s. Before the test, an oil drop was added to lubricate sliding surfaces. A seizure resistance test was carried out at constant normal load of 2700 N. Tribotests were automatically stopped when the coefficient of friction reached a limit value 0.15. Selected textured samples clearly exhibited a lifetime longer than untextured reference specimens.