Oil Exchange Between Ball Bearings and Cotton-Phenolic Bail-Bearing Retainers

Abstract

Experiments have been performed that determine for the first time the transfer of oil between cotton-phenolic ball-bearing retainers and operating ball bearings. A full retainer exchanges oil with the metal park of the bearing, probably by diffusional mixing. There is no net delivery of oil from the retrainer to the metal parts of the bearing. A partially filled retainer (such as one that has been incompletely impregnated) absorbs oil from the bearing even during operation, this drying the bearing. A fully-impregnated retainer does not deliver any significant amount of additional oil to the metal parts of a poorly lubricated bearing. The retainer will not prevent lubricant degradation and premature bearing failure under the conditions of these experiments.

Presented as a Society of Tribologists and Lubrication Engineers paper at the ASME/STLE Tribology Conference in Lahaina, Hawaii, October 16–20, 1994

KEY WORDS:

• Ball Bearings
• Space Vehicles
• Polymeric Materials
• Synthetic Lubricants

Notes

Presented as a Society of Tribologists and Lubrication Engineers paper at the ASME/STLE Tribology Conference in Lahaina, Hawaii, October 16–20, 1994