Effect of Liner Modification on the Tribological Properties of Self-Lubricating Spherical Plain Bearings under Tilting Oscillation

The liners of PTFE and Kevlar fibers were treated in LaCl₃ based solution and acetone, respectively. Under the condition of tilting swinging, the effects of the liner treatment on tribological properties of self-lubricating spherical plain bearings were investigated, and the worn surface morphologies of the liners were analyzed by using the scanning electron microscopy and a 3D Profiler. The results show that the wear resistances of the bearings treated by LaCl₃ based solution and acetone were improved greatly with reference to those of without treatment. Under the high frequency condition, the improvement on wear resistances of bearings treated by the LaCl₃ based solution was more obvious than that of the bearings treated by the acetone. According to the microscopic morphology, it can be seen that the bearings of liners treated in LaCl₃ based solution exhibited mild adhesive wear and had excellent tribological properties.