Friction in Cylindrical Joints

Cylindrical clearance joints are commonly employed in mechanisms that involve the rotation of a shaft spindle within a cylindrical sliding bearing. The intensity of the friction process in such joints is governed by several factors, including the clearance size between components, the materials of the interacting surfaces, the properties and characteristics of the lubricant, the surface roughness (asperities), and the magnitude of the relative velocity between the joint’s components. To experimentally determine the friction coefficient in cylindrical clearance joints, a custom device was designed and implemented. This device is adaptable to a universal lathe and enables the measurement of the friction coefficient under varying normal forces and relative movement speeds between the joint components. The experimental data were subjected to mathematical analysis, leading to the development of an empirical model. This model effectively characterizes the direction and intensity of the influence of various factors on the friction coefficient, accounting for the use of different lubricants. The findings provide valuable insights into optimizing cylindrical clearance joints for improved performance in practical applications.