Research Topic

Short Title	Mechanisms of grease-lubricated plastic contacts
Start of Project	Q4/2024
Funding	FVA-Nr. 1047/I Research Association for Drive Technology e.V., FVA
Project Partner	Institute for Machine Elements and Systems Engineering (iMSE), RWTH Aachen
Contact	Dr.-Ing. T. Lohner

Project Description

Plastic components are increasingly being used in industrial applications. This includes machine elements with rolling-sliding contacts, such as gears or rolling bearings. Most plastic-plastic or plastic-metal contacts are lubricated with grease, which e.g. reduces the complexity of the sealing system, and, in the case of lifetime lubrication, the maintenance costs compared to oil lubrication. Ideally, the grease will remain in or close to the tribological contact and release sufficient oil to form a lubricant film in order to reduce friction and wear. The formation of the lubricant film depends, among other things, on the material properties of the contact partners and the grease. The influence of the plastic material on lubricant availability and the mechanisms of lubricant film formation in plastic contacts is currently unknown. Therefore, in this study a state of knowledge and solution for the investigation of lubricant availability and the lubricant film formation of a grease-lubricated plastic contact is developed. For this purpose, an industry survey, literature research and initial experimental and numerical investigations are carried out. A deeper understanding of the lubricant film formation and the lubrication mechanisms of grease-lubricated plastic contacts enables the development of precise design criteria for plastic machine elements.