MODELLING THE VARIATION OF FRICTION IN A SELF-LUBRICATING COMPOSITE BEARING DUE TO WEAR

摘要

The paper describes a numerical model for estimating the variation of the friction coefficient of a selflubricating bearing liner over its useful wear life. Self-lubricating bearings have been in widespreaduse since the mid-1950s, predominantly in the aerospace industry where they have the advantage ofbeing low maintenance components. They are commonly used in relatively low speed, reciprocatingapplications such as control surface actuators, and usually consist of a spherical bearing with theinner and outer elements separated by a composite textile resin-bonded liner. A finite element modelhas been developed to predict the local stiffness of a particular liner at different states of wear.Results obtained using the model have been used to predict the overall friction coefficient as itevolves due to wear. The predictions have been verified against rig tests.