New Information on the Friction in Radial Rolling-Contact Bearings: An Experimental Dependence Constructed at the Institute of Machine Science, Russian Academy of Sciences

It has been shown experimentally for the first time that the radial rolling-contact bearings loaded by a radial force are characterized by a sinusoidal dependence of the friction coefficient on time. The experimental Stribeck curve for the sliding-contact bearings has been analyzed for the dependence of the friction coefficient on the shaft speed. It has been shown that the Stribeck curve in the tangential-stress-sliding-speed coordinates can indirectly characterize the rheology of the lubricating fluid. The Stribeck curve and the curve constructed at the Institute for Machine Science (IMASh RAS curve) are proposed for analyzing the results of studying lubricated sliding and rolling bearings, respectively.