Experimental study on the operational characteristics of sliding bearings with SiC particles

The rotor system of a certain type of aerospace transfer pump adopts a SiC-PEEK sliding bearing pair. During operation, the phenomenon of SiC particle shedding from the bearing surface occurs. To investigate the influence of SiC particles on the operating characteristics of sliding bearings, this article sets up a sliding bearing test rig to simulate the working conditions of the aerospace transfer pump, and conducts bearing operation experiments using this platform. Suspensions of SiC particles with different particle sizes and concentrations are injected into the lubricating water used for bearing operation. The current fluctuations during the operation of the sliding bearing are observed, and the changes in bearing morphology before and after the experiment are compared and analyzed. The results show that SiC particles do not affect the bearing operation stability, but increase the operating power. The current at the moment of startup is twice that of stable operation. At the same time, it is found that the addition of SiC particles will aggravate the abrasive wear of the bearing.