Realisation and evaluation of a start-stop journal bearing test-rig

Sammanfattning: While there has been substantial body of work in the field of journal bearing research, much of it is today theoretical or simulated due to today’s computing power. Scania produces experimental data from motor testing, but these are expensive and time consuming. Furthermore there is a difficulty in keeping a sufficiently controlled environment, which at times makes it hard to draw conclusions from testing results. They therefore wish to develop a test-rig which can evaluate friction and wear in journal bearings. This thesis is a continuation of a project in the course Advanced Machine Design given at KTH Royal Institute of Technology. During this thesis the test-rig has been manufactured, built, and evaluated. Furthermore software for the test-rig was developed. Information on journal bearings, risk assessment and signal noise handling were sought. Mechanical development was done with Autodesk Inventor, while Matlab was used for software development. Factorial design was utilised when designing tests and compared to a simple theoretical model. Test results showed promising results for Stribeck curve-producing tests, with good resemblance to known frictional values and trends. Furthermore the test-rig showed good repeatability for replicated tests and produced wear on the bearing shells used. During a prolonged test, the shaft and support-bearings were damaged and requires servicing to be in an operational state. The test-rig requires to be further verified, but the tests that were carried out showed valuable and reliable information on wear and frictional values. Keywords: journal bearing, hydrodynamic lubrication, wear, start-stop, test-rig