MODELING OF WEAR IN A SOLID-LUBRICATED BALL-BEARING

Computer modeling of wear in a solid-lubricated ball bearing for high-speed turbine applications is considered in terms of local interactions and the overall dynamics of the bearing elements. With prescribed coefficients of wear at the various interfaces between the interacting bearing elements, the computer model ADORE is used to obtain the time-averaged wear rates for the balls, races, and the cage as a function of the operating conditions typical of a gas turbine application. The model presents analytical estimates of wear in the ball pockets and at the guide lands of the cage, and it provides some guidance for optimizing cage design in solid-lubricated ball bearings.