Diamond-like Carbon Coatings for Improved Aerospace Tapered Roller Bearing Loss of Lubrication Performance

Bench-level tribological experiments were utilized to evaluate material, coating, and lubricant formulation effects on the loss-of-lubricant survivability of tapered roller end and cone rib contacts. Cone rib and roller end contacts were simulated using a single rotating roller and rotating flat disk. The applied load and rotational speeds of the roller and disk were controlled to simulate representative rotorcraft gearbox bearing operating conditions. The contacts were lubricated for an initial period before the lubricant supply was shut off, and the supply tube was then removed. Tests continued to run, without additional oil, until the measured friction force reached a predetermined cutoff value. Weibull-based statistical analysis was used to compare the loss-of-lubrication runtimes.