Friction and wear behavior of pin-bushing with magnetorheological fluids

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to carry out research on friction and wear behavior of pin- bushing with magnetorheological fluids (MRFs). Design/methodology/approach - The oscillation friction characteristics of MRFs with a magnetic field are evaluated by a pin-bushing friction wear tester. The housing is adjusted to apply the magnetic field to MRFs. Experiments are carried out with and without a magnetic field, and the coefficient of friction and temperature on the contact interface are measured. The surfaces of the pin and bushing are also examined by a surface profilometer and an optical microscope before and after tests. The experiment results show a lower coefficient of friction is observed when a magnetic field is applied. Findings - The temperature is lowest when grease is used. The case when a magnetic field is present shows the higher temperature. The coefficient of friction is higher than grease lubrication when an MRF is applied. The coefficient of friction of the pin-bushing is lowest with grease and highest when a magnetic field is present. The friction coefficient of grease and MRFs decreases as the load increases and remains stable after 3 kN is added. The roughness, surface profile and morphology of the pin show the best results when grease is used as compared with MRFs. Originality/value - The tribology characteristic of pin- bushing with MRFs shows more deficiency than that with grease. Nevertheless, it is necessary to carry out the research on the friction and wear characteristics of a pin- bushing with MRFs, as it is expected to increase the loadcarrying capacity when an MRF is applied to the pin-bush system. Better friction and wear characteristics could be achieved by enhancing the property of MRFs.