Application of Oxide Wear Models to Radial Fretting

Abstract

Modeling mild wear damage mechanisms, such as oxidative wear, is highly complex due to the many mechanical and chemical actors involved. To clarify these mechanisms, the temperature-activated diffusion of oxides through exposed surfaces is used. Results indicate that diffusion kinematics are higher than those determined for the same temperatures without fretting phenomena, an effect that is especially visible when the slip speed is low (< 1 m/s). To understand the mechanism of this damage, the present study examined the evolution of the contact temperature and the dissipated heat, considering temporal non-linearities and roughness effects. This is accomplished by analyzing a case study of an axial bearing in which radial fretting is experimentally induced after applying a variable normal load and by comparing the experimental results to the theoretical calculations in the thermal-activated diffusion model.