Effect of Number of Cycles on Thin Film of PPS Thrust Bearings Under Rolling Contact Fatigue in Water

Ball bearings are important mechanical parts. These are used for the transmission of rotational motion at high speed. However, it is difficult to use metal rolling bearings in dry or corrosive environments. Therefore, industrial polymers are applied to rolling bearings. Recently, the research of polymer ball bearings has increased and their unique behaviors have been reported. In particular, the relation between rolling contact life of polymer ball bearings and self-lubrication under dry conditions was actively studied. This research focused on thin-film phenomenon for self-lubrication under dry conditions. In contrast, the thin film under different conditions has not been investigated up to now. In 2023, we found the thin film under the Rolling Contact Fatigue (RCF) in water and focused on the effect of wear on thrust loads. This means our research revealed that there was a thrust load range generating wear under water conditions. The effect of the Poly Phenylene Sulfide (PPS) thin film has not been studied in detail. In the present work, RCF test was performed under a thrust load of 2300 N in water to investigate the behavior of the PPS thin film on the groove surface.