TY - JOUR

T1 - Enhancement of Lubricant Replenishment Under Limited Lubricant Supply in Rolling Bearings

AU - Liu, Chenglong

AU - Guo, Feng

AU - Li, Xinming

AU - Wong, Patrick

AU - Poll, Gerhard

AU - Liu, Muyuan

N1 - Funding Information: CL, FG and PW designed the experiment and wrote the main manuscript text. XL participated in the detail designing of the surface designing and film thickness measurement. GP and ML provided the detail analysis of the bearing frictional torque. All authors reviewed the manuscript. CL, FG and PW provided the financial support. Funding Information: The work presented is supported by the Research Grants Council of Hong Kong (Project No. CityU 11215021) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 52175173; No. 52205201).

PY - 2023/12/7

Y1 - 2023/12/7

N2 - This paper proposes a stripe-shaped surface pattern, aiming to enhance oil replenishment in rolling bearings that operate in challenging conditions where starved lubrication can result in failure. The pattern can be created through a chemical coating and applied to both sides of the bearing raceway, transforming it into a replenishment-augmented rolling element bearing (RaREB) that exhibits reduced friction. RaREB bearings facilitate better distribution and replenishment of lubricant in the bearing raceway, leading to enhanced anti-friction and extended service life, particularly in situations with limited lubricant supply. Test results confirmed the effectiveness of RaREB bearings in maintaining the desired thickness of the lubricating film and reducing friction torque. Additionally, a droplet transport simulation model was utilized to demonstrate the effect of the stepped wettability on oil replenishment. The proposed design holds practical significance for enhancing bearing performance in extreme operating conditions. Graphical abstract: [Figure not available: see fulltext.]

AB - This paper proposes a stripe-shaped surface pattern, aiming to enhance oil replenishment in rolling bearings that operate in challenging conditions where starved lubrication can result in failure. The pattern can be created through a chemical coating and applied to both sides of the bearing raceway, transforming it into a replenishment-augmented rolling element bearing (RaREB) that exhibits reduced friction. RaREB bearings facilitate better distribution and replenishment of lubricant in the bearing raceway, leading to enhanced anti-friction and extended service life, particularly in situations with limited lubricant supply. Test results confirmed the effectiveness of RaREB bearings in maintaining the desired thickness of the lubricating film and reducing friction torque. Additionally, a droplet transport simulation model was utilized to demonstrate the effect of the stepped wettability on oil replenishment. The proposed design holds practical significance for enhancing bearing performance in extreme operating conditions. Graphical abstract: [Figure not available: see fulltext.]

KW - Film thickness

KW - Friction torque

KW - Limited lubricant supply

KW - Lubricant replenishment

KW - Rolling bearings

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85178877657&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.21203/rs.3.rs-3237094/v1

DO - 10.21203/rs.3.rs-3237094/v1

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:85178877657

VL - 72

JO - Tribology letters

JF - Tribology letters

SN - 1023-8883

M1 - 6

ER -