SOLID LUBRICATED BALL/CAGE CONTACT SIMULATION

A SPECIAL TEST FIXTURE WILL BE DEVELOPED FOR AN EXISTING TEST MACHINE RECENTLY ADAPTED FOR TESTING STEEL BALLS BETWEEN TWO ROLLING DISKS. USING THIS FIXTURE, A TEST TECHNIQUE WILL BE DEVELOPED IN PHASE I TO MEASURE THE FRICTION, TRANSFER FILM RATE, CAGE WEAR RATE, AND BALL/ RACE TRACK SURFACE DAMAGE AND WEAR WITH SEVERAL CANDIDATE SOLID LUBRICANT MATERIALS AND BOTH STEEL AND CERAMIC BALLS. THESE MEASUREMENTS WILL BE COORDINATED WITH COMPUTER STUDIES OF BALL/CAGE INTERACTIONS IN MAINSHAFT GAS TURBINE ANGULAR CONTACT BALL BEARINGS FOR REFINEMENT OF BOTH THE ANALYSIS AND THE MEASUREMENT TECHNIQUES. THEN IN PHASE II WE WOULD MODIFY THE TEST RIG TO OPERATE AT HIGH SPEED AND TEMPERATURE. DESIGN CRITERIA WOULD THEN BE DEVELOPED FOR A FAMILY OF SOLID LUBRICATED BEARINGS WHICH WE WOULD PLAN TO MARKET IN CONJUNCTION WITH OUR NEW BUSINESS ON CERAMIC BEARINGS.