Traction Properties of Aerospace Lubricant under Low-Temperature Micro-Oil Droplet Supply Conditions

Abstract

Aerospace bearings need to withstand the low-temperature environment of space, which will cause changes in the internal lubrication state of the bearings. This article aims to assess the traction properties of aerospace lubricants under low-temperature micro-oil droplet (hereinafter referred to as ‘micro-oil’) supply conditions, and provide a lubrication theoretical basis for studying the motion characteristics of aerospace bearings in a low-temperature environment. An experimental study on the low-temperature micro-oil traction properties of high-speed bearing lubricants was conducted on a specially designed aerospace bearing lubricant traction characteristic tester. A modified Herschel–Bulkley model (modified H–B model) was presented based on test data analysis, and the fitting results were compared with the Tevaarwerk–Johnson model (T–J model). The findings demonstrated that the traction coefficient of this lubricant decreased at a higher load and entrainment velocity, and decreased with a decreasing inlet oil temperature from 0 °C to −50 °C. The modified H–B model accurately fitted the test data and was suitable for the engineering traction coefficient calculation of lubricants and high viscosities at low temperatures. This paper can provide fundamental information for analyzing aerospace bearing friction torque variation.