Synergistic Effects of Graphene-added Lubricants and Surface Micro-texturing on the Tribological Behavior of Thrust Roller Bearings

Abstract

The synergistic effects of graphene additive and surface micro-texturing on the friction and wear properties of rolling bearings are still a research gap. To this end, the tribological behavior of dimples textured thrust roller bearings (81107TN) are investigated under starved lubrication. The lubricants contained different mass fractions (0.06 %, 0.10 % and 0.14 %) of graphene. The evenly distributed dimples (diameter: 60 µm or 250 µm; depth: 1 µm or 8 µm) were manufactured only on the raceways of the shaft washers. By comparing the coefficients of friction (COF), wear losses and worn surfaces, the influence of various dimples dimensions and mass fractions of graphene on the tribological behavior of rolling bearings is discussed. The results show that appropriate dimple parameters and a suitable mass fraction of graphene can synergistically have a positive effect on the tribological properties of bearings. In this work, the textured group, with a dimple-diameter of 60 µm and a dimple-depth of 1 µm, can provide the best comprehensive friction-reducing and wear-reducing performance for the mass fraction of graphene with 0.10 wt%. Compared to the smooth bearings lubricated with base oil, its mean COF is reduced by 31 % and its wear loss by 35 %. This work can be a valuable reference for the improvement of rolling bearings and lubricants.