Experimental comparison of the seizure loads of gray iron journal bearing and aluminum alloy journal bearing under aligned and misaligned conditions

Materials, surface roughness of bearing and shaft, and journal misalignment affect the seizure load of journal bearing. To improve the load carrying capacity of bearing and obtain better friction pair, this paper studies experimentally the seizure loads of a gray iron journal bearing and two kinds of aluminum alloy journal bearings under both aligned and misaligned conditions. Three shafts are used to study the effects of journal surface roughness and DLC coating. The journal center locus is recorded. Results show that the combination of DLC coating and the aluminum alloy with lower hardness has the largest seizure load and inclined angle, followed by the combinations of DLC coating and gray iron, and 40Cr steel and gray iron. The surface roughness values of bearing and shaft have a considerable negative effect on seizure load, especially for aligned condition.