Effects of Multi-Surface Texturing on the Tribological Properties of Aluminum Based Self-Lubricating Joint Bearing under Grease Condition

Abstract

Joint bearing contact surfaces of high-tech precision machinery applied particularly in the manufacturing industry undergo varying range of extreme temperature and pressure conditions, which subject them to frictional wear, tear and stress during operation in different environments of application. A continuous assessment of their resilient capacities is therefore necessary to avoid operational failure of core base component parts. The aim of this study is to assess the effects of multi-surface treatment and texturing processes on the frictional and stress performance of aluminum based self-lubricating joint bearing under grease condition. Using ANSYS software based on the Hertz contact theory and Boussinesqmodel for numerical simulations of rated static load contact, the study showed that under dry friction and grease lubrication, PTFE/ardex pad stabilizes the surface friction coefficient and effectively reduces the friction coefficient. Again, the friction coefficient of the aluminum self-lubrication increases with the texture share and the sample with 15% share shows the lowest friction coefficient (0.114), under lipid lubrication conditions. It is recommended for future research to conduct a wobble (transient dynamics) and thermodynamic analysis for the model, and attempt to optimize the friction resistance of self-lubricating joint bearing by adjusting the deposition process parameters like current value, temperature and element contact.