Wear of Dynamically Loaded Hydrodynamic Bearings by Contaminant Particles

An investigation is reported on the wear of hydrodynamic bearings by contaminant particles in the oil under dynamic loading conditions. A test bearing rig was developed to dynamically simulate an automotive connecting rod engine bearing, and the contaminant additions were of the types normally used for testing of automotive oil filters and air cleaners. Shaft and linear wear for clean and contaminated oil were measured both in terms of dimensional changes and weight loss at two different rotating speeds. As compared with clean oil, both shaft and linear wear were found to increase by typically a factor of 20 when running with the contaminated oil. A direct correlation was found between the local oil film thickness history and wear intensity for both the clean and contaminated oil. The wear tended to increase steeply at those locations where the oil film was smaller for a greater portion of the operating cycle.