Acoustic emissions from lubricated hybrid contacts

This study investigates condition monitoring of oil lubricated hybrid sliding contacts using acoustic emission (AE) techniques. Experiments were carried out on a pin-on-disc tribometer with a silicon nitride or M50 ball sliding on a silicon nitride or M50NiL steel flat disc at a sliding velocity of 3 m/s under high contact pressures. A commercially available aviation oil, EXXON Turbo 2380 (ET2380), was used as the lubricant. An oil starvation strategy was used to accelerate the failure of the contacts. The results show that the hybrid contacts have the lowest wear rates under steady state conditions. Cross-correlation analysis was used for the first time to explore the relationship between the instantaneous AE(rms) signals and other signals. The results show that AE(rms) have the best correlation with friction under the test conditions. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.