Measurement of Load-carrying Capacity of Thin Lubricating Films

The load-carrying capacity of a fixed-inclined slider bearing has been evaluated by film thickness measurement using an oil film thickness tester in conform contacts. In the measurement, under fixed inclination and load, film thickness values at different speeds are obtained, and the curve of load-carrying capacity is derived by a dimensionless parameter group. This approach is quite different from the previous methods whereby the pressure of oil film is measured under different convergence ratios and the load can be obtained by integration. The measured load-carrying capacity curve and the theoretical analysis show the same tendency, and however the measured value is lower than the theoretical value. The theory holds that the load-carrying capacity is determined only by the convergence ratio. However, the experimental results show the dimensionless load-carrying capacity is affected by the inclination angle of the slider, load and the properties of lubricating oils.