In this paper, the wear performance of hybrid radial bearing (PEEK-PTFE and alumina ball) was investigated. For effective operation of equipment in clean energy facilities environment, the PEEK-PTFE hybrid bearings was developed. Radial PEEK-PTFE hybrid bearings were produced by machining and their rolling contact fatigue (RCF) behavior under non-lubricated condition was carried out. PEEK accumulation layer with PTFE and graphite appeared on the bearing's inner ring under 600-3000 rpm rotation speed. Due to the self-lubrication of PEEK layer, the wear loss of hybrid bearing cycles was lower than in the case of neat PEEK radial bearing. Moreover, It was found that the thin PEEK layer protected the raceway from the friction heat and wear.
Radial ball bearings made of metal, ceramics and plastics are commonly used as important components in various types of industrial machinery. Due to the latest markets demands for elements capable of withstanding e.g. corrosive environment, metallic bearings are being gradually replaced by components produced from high performance engineering plastic polymers. In order to investigate the failure mechanism of polymer bearings and further improve their performance in practical applications in an underwater environment, in this research crack propagation in Poly-ether-ether-ketone (PEEK) was studied by rolling contact fatigue (RCF) testing under water. Crack propagation in the inner ring raceway surface and subsurface areas of PEEK bearings after testing was observed by a laser confocal microscope. Cracks and flaking failure were found on the bearing raceway surface. From the RCF tests results, it was found that the detected cracks could be divided into three groups: Main Surface Cracks, Semi-circular Cracks and Main Subsurface Cracks. It is concluded that flaking occurs on the inner ring raceway due to the fusion of semi-circular cracks and a main subsurface crack.
Nowadays, due to strict environmental requirements, the automotive industry has been reducing vehicle weight in order to minimize the CO2 emission. This had led to an increase in the demand for plastic car parts as a replacement for formerly metal components. Poly ether-ether-ketone (PEEK) has a high glass transition temperature of 143°C, good friction and heat resistance, and can be easily machined. Due to these characteristics, PEEK is already being widely applied in the production of various car parts, such as seat adjustment parts, transmission parts, oil-pump parts etc. In the present study, PEEK bearings were produced by machining and their rolling contact fatigue (RCF) under non-lubricated conditions was investigated. Under high radial load, seizure in the inner bearing part occurred while under low radial load, there was failure by adhesive wear. Exposed to medium load between 85.6N and 93.1N, however, the bearings achieved relatively long lives of over 1.0x10E6 cycles, as well as a unique feature of self-lubrication that rid the raceway of micro depressions, deposits or smearing.
In this paper, the wear performance of polymer radial ball bearings (PEEK-PTFE and PPS-PTFE) were investigated. For effective operation of equipment in clean energy facilities environment, the polymer bearings were developed. These polymer bearings were produced by machining and their rolling contact fatigue (RCF) behavior under non-lubricated condition was carried out. PEEK accumulation layer with PTFE and graphite was formed on the bearing's inner ring under 3000 rpm high rotation speed. Due to the self-lubrication of PEEK layer, the wear loss of PEEK-PTFE bearing was lower than PPS-PTFE radial bearing. Moreover, it was found that the thin PEEK layer protected the raceway from the friction heat and wear. The wear durability of PEEK-PTFE bearing was superior to PPS-PTFE one.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.