A STUDY OF THE WEAR IN CERAMIC BEARINGS BY A THIN-LAYER ACTIVATION METHOD

摘要

The wear resistance of ceramic sliding bearings fabricated from sintered Si_3N_4 and ZrO_2 is studied by the thin-layer activation method. Radioisotopic tags were applied by exposing the ceramic components to a proton beam with an energy of 7.6 MeV. Exposure conditions are specified to avoid radiative damage of the surface of ceramic components. The wear under dry-friction conditions was determined by radiometry of the isotopically labeled surface of ceramic components. The wear under dry-friction conditions was determined by radiometry of the isotopically labeled surface using calibration curves. The running-in time was found to be about 400 min for Si_3N_4-based and 500-600 min for ZrO_2-based components, with wear rates of 4 -5 and 5- 6 #mu#m, respectively. The data obtained attest to the high performance characteristics of the ceramic bearings that are used for submersible pumps for pumping crude oil out of wells.