Radial force impact on the friction coefficient and temperature of a self-lubricating plain bearing

Abstract

Self-lubricating bearings are available in spherical, plain, flanged journal, and rod end bearing configurations. They were originally developed to eliminate the need for re-lubrication, to provide lower torque and to solve application problems where the conventional metal-to-metal bearings would not perform satisfactorily, for instance, in the presence of high frequency vibrations. Among the dominant tribological parameters of the self-lubricating bearing, two could be singled out: the coefficient of friction and temperature. To determine these parameters, an experimental method was applied in this paper. By using this method, the coefficient of friction and temperature were identified and their correlation was established. The aim of this research was to determine the effect of radial force on tribological parameters in order to predict the behavior of sliding bearings with graphite in real operating conditions.