Representative Tribometer Testing of Wire Rope Fretting Contacts: The Effect of Lubrication on Fretting Wear

Fretting wear has a significant influence on wire rope fatigue life when in cyclic bending, particularly for crossed wire contacts, where the interfacial motion of the surfaces is complex and multi-axial. To simulate these contacts in a controlled manner, a laboratory-scale, crossed cylinder, reciprocating fretting wear test was developed. A broad range of contemporary lubrication technologies were evaluated using this method, and a systematic multivariate statistical analysis was performed to identify the most significant lubrication-related parameters with respect to these fretting wear conditions. Wear area increase per slip cycle was the most relevant measure of wear damage, because this captured the influence of changes in the fretting wear regime during the test. The ability of a lubricant to reduce damaging fretting wear during the running-in phase was the greatest influence on long-term fretting wear, particularly for grease-lubricated contacts.