EFFECT OF LUBRICANT VISCOSITY ON ROLLING-CONTACTnFATIGUE LIFE

摘要

A series of rolling-contact fatigue tests was conducted in a bench rig developed at the NACA Lewis laboratory. Four paraffin-base mineral oils of varying viscosity (at atmospheric pressure) were used as lubri-cants. Ball specimens were AISI M-l tool steel (air melt). Test tem-perature was 100°~F, and a calculated Hertz compressive stress level of 725,000 psi was maintained.nA continuous trend toward longer life was observed with increasing lubricant viscosity over the range studied (5 to 120 centistokes at 100° P). This trend holds at any percentage of specimens failed. The life scatter remained about constant at each viscosity level studied.