Correlation Between Tribological and Vibration Behaviors in Sliding Lubricated Contacts

Abstract

The tribological and vibration behaviors of a lubricated system are often studied separately. However, in recent years, the combination of tribology and mechanical vibration significantly contributes in analyzing and solving many practical problems. The main objective of this study is to establish empirical equations that describe friction–-vibration interactions under dynamic (sliding) lubricated contacts. The effects of operating conditions on the tribological and vibration behaviors of lubricating oils having different viscosities were experimentally investigated using a four-ball wear test machine. The results indicated that the vibration velocity tends to increase with the sliding velocity. With a lower combination of ratio of the vibration velocity to the sliding velocity and the specific film thickness, lower friction coefficients were observed in the boundary and mixed lubrication regimes. The mean wear scar diameters exhibited positive correlations with the amplitudes of vibration accelerations. The empirical equations provide basic information for the prediction of friction variation by measuring vibration signals.