Relating contact conditions to abrasive wear

Damage caused by particles within rolling/sliding contacts can severely reduce the operational life of machinery such as roller bearings, gears and pumps.Abrasive wear of spherical roller thrust bearings has been studied using a stylus apparatus and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Both a standard bearing and a bearing with rollers coated with metal mixed amorphous carbon (Me-C:H) were studied. The SEM measurements were performed systematically across the contact surfaces so that surfaces with gradually different contact situations could be examined. These measurements were compared to the measured wear depth of the components of the roller bearing. Also, the calculated contact conditions in terms of creep, contact size and surface separation have been related to the observed wear pattern at various locations.To attempt to understand the wear behaviour of the bearing with coated rollers, the coating as well as the material content of the surfaces were examined using both SEM and energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDS). This revealed that the coating did not flake off but rather was scratched off.It is possible to link the abrasive wear behaviour to the contact conditions. It is crucial to understand this relationship when building a simulation model of abrasive wear.