Impact of sediments on wear performance of critical sliding components of hydrokinetic devices

Abstract

The work discussed here is a continuation of the study presented in [1], in which a customized test apparatus was presented that was capable of conducting tribological related experiments on sliding components commonly used in hydrokinetic devices such as bearings, drive shaft and seals. The wear on critical sliding components introduces unnecessary clearances which can significantly reduce the performance and reliability of hydrokinetic devices. In the previous study [1], four types of bearings, namely Vesconite, CIP, Feroform T814, and Poly Crystalline Diamond (PCD) coated bearings were tested for 60 hours in clean water. The data showed that PCD bearings outperformed polymer based bearings in terms of wear and frictional resistance. In the present study, the same set of bearings were tested for 60 hours in fresh sedimented water. The experimental data revealed that PCD bearings had higher wear resistance as compared to its polymer based counterparts. In addition to wear on bearing surface, a significant amount of wear on the drive shaft was observed. These results reveal that (in addition to high wear resistant polymer bearings) a surface hardened shaft may increase the longevity of bearing-shaft assembly in sedimented water.

Review of the evolution and prevention of friction, wear, and noise for water-lubricated bearings used in ships

“…Quaglini et al [240] concluded that polymers with low elastic modulus exhibited better sliding behavior on smooth interfaces, while polymers with high modulus could obtain better tribological properties when it was sliding on rough interfaces. The wear resistance improvement of bearings requires an effective match of highly wear-resistant polymer bearings with surface hardened shafts [241]. The commonly used water-lubricated friction pairs are organized as shown in Table 9, which could provide guidance for engineering applications.…”

Experimental study on the influence of friction pair material hardness on the tribological behaviors of water lubricated thrust bearings

“…Wang et al (2017) demonstrated that polyimide/Si 3 N 4 tribopair exhibited excellent properties under water lubrication and was promising for future applications in the water base bearing industry. Bromaghin et al (2014) and Ali et al (2015) manufactured and tested four types of WLBs, Vesconite, carbonyl iron powder, Feroform T814 and Poly Crystalline Diamond (PCD) coated bearings, in clean and sedimented water, respectively. Both tests revealed that PCD bearings have the highest wear resistance and the lowest friction resistance among the tested bearings.…”