Tribological behavior of laser textured rolling element bearings under starved lubrication

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to reveal the influence of dimples on the tribological properties of the washers-cage-rollers system of rolling element bearing (REB) under starved lubrication. Design/methodology/approach A fiber laser marking system was used to prepare dimples patterns on the raceways of the shaft washers of cylindrical roller thrust bearings (CRTBs). The friction and wear properties of dimples textured CRTBs with different diameter of dimples (200 mu m, 250 mu m, 300 mu m) and depth of dimples (4 mu m, 8 mu m, 12 mu m) were researched through a vertical universal wear test rig using a customized tribo-pair under starved lubrication. The surface stresses and the influence mechanism of dimple units on the tribological behavior of REBs were also compared and discussed. Findings Although the surface stresses on the raceways of dimples textured bearings are significantly higher than that of the smooth group, the coefficients of friction and wear losses of them are all reduced under starved lubrication. When the effective volume of dimples is between 1.13 and 2.25 and the depth of dimples is smaller than 12 mu m, the tribological properties of dimples textured CRTBs are significantly improved. In this work, when the diameter of dimples is 250 mu m, and the depth of dimples is 8 mu m, the textured bearings can provide the excellent friction-reduction ability and outstanding wear resistance. Originality/value This work is a valuable reference for the raceway design and optimization of REBs.

Automated summary

This paper investigates the influence of dimples on the tribological properties of rolling element bearings under starved lubrication. The results show that, within a certain range, the textured bearings with appropriate diameter and depth of dimples can significantly improve the friction and wear properties of the bearings. Specifically, the textured bearings with a diameter of 250 μm and a depth of 8 μm exhibit excellent friction reduction ability and wear resistance.