The Wear Resistance of Wood-Metal Composite Sliding Bearings

The article considers the determination of the effect of material properties and surface irregularities of a wood-metal composition on the wear resistance and friction pairs used in components of timber-processing and general machine-building machinery.

Experimental studies have been performed for various types of wood-metal bushings, differing in composition, method of modification of the wood matrix and the nature of the distribution of metal inclusions. Tribological tests were carried out according to the “shaft–sleeve” scheme with an abrasive-oil layer for 80 hours; at a load of 50 N; rotation speed of 25 min^–1; axial displacement speed of the countersunk shaft 0.01 m/min. Wear resistance was assessed by the operating time, before the shaft jamming.

A quantitative assessment of tribotechnical characteristics in rotational and combined modes of motion has been carried out. Regression analysis was performed, which made it possible to establish a relationship between the intensity of wear and the hardness of the surface layers. It has been established that under startup and stop conditions, wear is mainly realized by the mechanism of waterjet and deformation destruction of the surface layers of the composite material, since the insert and shaft are separated by a gap filled with a lubricating fluid during operation. For wood-metal sliding bearings that do not contain implanted particles, the most rational roughness is R_a = 0.4—1.6 mm, which reduces the likelihood of cutting the wood composition. For bearings containing implanted particles, which can become abrasive during the painting process, a roughness close to the value of R_a = 3.2 mm is the most rational.

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