China Fretting Wear Protection by Lubricating Greases Tester

Enhancing Joint Durability with the Fretting Wear Protection by Lubricating Greases Tester

Introduction
Fretting wear arises when two surfaces in contact experience small oscillatory motions, leading to surface damage, debris generation, and component failure. In applications such as splines, bearings, and electrical connectors, effective grease lubrication is essential to prevent fretting. Changsha Friend’s Fretting Wear Protection by Lubricating Greases Tester provides quantitative evaluation of grease formulations under controlled load, motion, and temperature conditions.

Testing Principle
The tester subjects a pair of metal specimens—commonly steel or brass coupons—to micro‑sliding amplitudes (10–100 µm) at frequencies up to 10 Hz. A defined normal load (0.5–20 N) is applied while the specimens are immersed in the test grease. A temperature‑controlled chamber can heat the environment up to 150 °C to simulate operating conditions. After a set number of cycles (e.g., 10,000–100,000), wear is quantified by measuring material loss volume or wear scar area using optical microscopy or profilometry.

Technical Features

• Precision Motion Control: Piezoelectric actuator for sub‑micron amplitude accuracy and programmable frequency.

• Force Transducer: Measures normal load to ±0.05 N accuracy, ensuring consistent contact pressure.

• Temperature Chamber: PID‑controlled heating with ±0.5 °C stability.

• Data Acquisition: Real‑time recording of friction force, displacement, temperature, and cycle count.

• Interchangeable Specimen Holders: Accommodate various coupon geometries for application‑specific testing.

Industry Applications

• Automotive Joints: Evaluate grease performance in constant‑velocity joints and wheel bearings.

• Railway Couplings: Assess lubricant life under repeated vibration and load reversals.

• Aerospace Fasteners: Ensure long‑term corrosion and wear protection in wing‑to‑fuselage connections.

• Electronics: Test grease resistance in connector contacts subject to micro‑motion.

Best Practices

1. Specimen Preparation: Polish to a uniform roughness (Ra < 0.1 µm) and clean with solvent to remove contaminants.

2. Grease Conditioning: Degas under vacuum to eliminate trapped air, which can affect film formation.

3. Load Verification: Calibrate the force sensor regularly using certified weights.

4. Wear Analysis: Use consistent microscopy settings and image‑analysis thresholds to compare scar measurements across tests.