ON THE ROLE OF PARTICULATE CONTAMINATION IN SCUFFING FAILURE

A theoretical study of the effect of particulate contamination on scuffing of bearing surfaces is presented. The governing equations are presented for an abrasive particle that comes into contact with the sliding surface and partially penetrates into the bearing overlayer (liner). A computer program is developed to simulate the governing equations. A parametric study of the results is presented which includes the critical particle size and the critical temperature which could cause surfaces to scuff for a range of operating speeds, minimum film thickness values and material properties. © 1990.