Tribological Performance Evaluation of Oil Mist Lubrication

Abstract

In this research work, the tribological performance of oil mist lubrication (pure mist), as applied to rolling element bearings, was investigated. In the first part of this research, tests were conducted to compare the performances of oil mist and conventional oil sump lubrication in terms of operating temperature and friction with variation of load and speed. In the second part, the two methods of lubrication were compared directly under endurance test conditions. The oil mist lubricated high-precision angular contact test bearings ran cooler by about 10°C. Also, the oil mist lubricated bearings had about 25 percent less friction. In the third part, endurance tests were conducted to investigate the influence of oil mist lubrication on the life of rolling element bearings. Weibull and maximum likelihood analysis of the endurance test data indicated that, in addition to savings in energy, oil mist lubrication provides better wear and fatigue protection to the test bearings compared to conventional sump lubrication.