Self-lubricating composite bearings: Effect of fibre length on its tribological properties by DEM modelling

Self-lubricating polymer-based composites are used in space and in aircraft mechanisms as materials for solid lubricated systems. Such composites mostly consist of a polymeric matrix and fillers of two kinds: hard fillers (fibres made of glass, or of minerals) and solid lubricating particles (made of MoS2). Their advantages are that they provide their own lubrication, and they can be used in both very high and very low temperatures (from −40 up to ~200F). Precision ball bearings with these composites are manufactured since the 60's in these bearings the retainer material itself provides the lubrication. From the experimental analyses implemented (X-ray tomography, SEM observations, and experiences in a tribometer); it is possible to observe that the geometry of the fillers has a strong influence on the third body rheology. Nevertheless, the confined nature of the contact does not allow in-situ observation. To overcome this difficulty a combined numerical/experimental approach is carried out. To be able to reproduce the evolution of third-body particles within the contact, Discrete Element Methods (DEM) is used. Such an approach allows to represent wear: by the construction of an equivalent continuous medium resulting from the incorporation of interaction laws between the discrete particles. The motivation to this work is the understanding of the impact of filler geometry o tribological behaviour of these materials. More specifically, the goal is to study the influence of the fibre length in the tribological behaviour of self-lubricating composites by Discrete Element Methods (DEM). •The volume fraction of the composites’components is discerned with X-ray tomography and image analysis.•The difference in the fibre length of RT/Duroid 5813and PGM-HThas a strong influence in their tribological behaviours.•When the fibres are longer a complex network of interactions is created,and the material’s resistance to shear increases.•When the fibers are shorter the network of interaction is less dense, and it will be more vulnerable to be broken.•A combined experimental/DEM approach is suitable to predict the tribological behaviour of the self-lubricating composites