A New Test-Bench for Study of Plain Bearings Under Mixed Lubrication Available to Purchase

The experimental knowledge about medium lubricated journal bearings (e.g. diesel-oil lubricated sliding bearings in fuel-injection systems) is far too small in order to confirm the different hypotheses of the actual simulation models. The study of such components implicates very restrictive requirements on security against explosion, exact measurement of the friction torque and so on. A new test bench design to meet these requirements is presented, allowing a system-conform study of the components. For a high resolution of the temperature repartition in the smearing gap, thin film sensors, which have allowed the verifications experiments in the field of the Elastohydrodynamic-lubrication (EHL) are being enhanced. Beside a higher wear resistance, a reduction of the sensor size is an important requirement for the new sensor generation, allowing the resolution of local phenomena in the mixed lubrication. For the electrical isolation and wear protection of the new sensors developed at the Institute of Product Development of the University of Karlsruhe (TH) (IPEK), diamond like carbon (DLC) coatings are used. For the fulfillment of the requirements on the size of the sensors, a new concept of micro thermocouples is presented.