To reveal the effect of vein-bionic surface textures on the tribological behavior of cylindrical roller thrust bearings (CRTBs) under starved lubrication, six kinds of leaves (Forsythia, Clausena lansiu, Ash, Purple leaf plum, Pipal and Apricot) were chose and their simplified patterns were fabricated on the shaft washers of CRTBs using laser surface texturing. The coefficients of friction (COFs) of vein-bionic textured bearings were measured using a vertical universal wear test rig. Their mass losses and worn surfaces were also characterized. The results show that: There is important influence of the symmetry of vein-bionic textures and the number of secondary veins on the friction and wear properties of vein-bionic textured CRTBs under starved lubrication. Compared to the smooth group, the COFs and mass losses of vein-bionic textured bearings are all reduced. Among all groups, the tribological performance of bearings with a pattern inspired from Ash is the best. Its wear loss is reduced by 16.23% and its COF is reduced by 15.79%. This work would provide a valuable reference for the raceway design and optimization of roller rolling element bearings.

To prolong the serve life of roller element bearings (REB) and improve the reliability of mechanical system, the tribological behavior of the “washers-cage-rollers” system of grooves textured thrust cylindrical roller bearings (TCRB, 81107TN) under dry wear was researched. The pattern parameters include: width of grooves (WOG, 50, 100, and 150 μm), depth of grooves (DPOG, 7, 11, and 15 μm), as well as groove deflection angle (GDA, 0°, 45°, 90°, and 135°). The influence mechanism of grooves on the tribological properties of REBs is discussed. The results show that: As the GDA is 45°, the coefficient of friction (COF) and mass loss of bearing is the lowest among four angles. The average COFs of grooves textured bearings are much higher than that of smooth one, and their mass losses are all lower than that of smooth bearing. The influence of pattern parameters on the surface stresses of grooves textured bearings is weak. In this work, when the WOG is 50 μm and the DPOG is 7 μm, the wear loss of grooves textured bearing is the lowest, reduced by up to 75.6%. This work can provide a valuable reference for the raceway design and optimization of REBs.

Damping material performance influences the efficacy of vibration and noise reduction. However, traditional damping materials often have low damping peaks or narrow damping temperature ranges. In this study, a series of polyurethane (PU)/poly(ethylene methacrylate) (PEMA) composites were synthesised, in which the PU hard segments were varied using toluene diisocyanate (TDI), diphenylmethane diisocyanate (MDI), isophorone diisocyanate (IPDI), and hexamethylene diisocyanate. The soft segments comprised tetrahydrofuran homopolymer glycol. The influence of the hard-segment structure on the properties of the PU/PEMA composites was investigated by infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, dynamic mechanical thermal analysis, and other experimental methods. The performance mechanism was explored from a molecular perspective via integration with molecular dynamics simulations. The PU/PEMA material with IPDI hard segments comprised numerous microphase-separated structures and exhibited greater free volume, fuller molecular-chain movement, and the highest damping performance, with a loss factor of 0.56. The PU/PEMA composites synthesised with TDI and MDI hard segments exhibited better compatibility, with the MDI-PU/PEMA system exhibiting a higher hydrogen-bonding force. This material also exhibited a higher thermal stability, with an initial breakdown temperature of 287.87 °C. This study provides a basis for regulating and optimising the performance of PU-based damping materials.

To explore the effect of dents on the tribological behavior of the “washers-cage-rollers” system of rolling element bearings (REBs), the friction and wear properties of dents textured thrust cylindrical roller bearings (81107TN) with different diameters of dents (DAOD, 200, 250, 300 μm), depth of dents (DPOD, 4, 8, 12 μm) as well as circumferential interval angle (CFIA, 1.5°, 2.0°, 2.5°) were researched under dry wear. The surface stresses of REBs and the influence mechanism of dents were also compared and discussed. The results show that: due to the nylon film formed and left on the raceways, the coefficients of friction (COFs) of dents textured bearings are all higher than the average COF of smooth ones, while their wear losses may become higher or lower, depending on the combination of pattern parameters. The influence of the DPOD on the tribological performance of textured bearings is more significant than that of the DAOD. The results show that, when the DAOD and DPOD are 250 and 8 μm, respectively, compared with the smooth ones, the mass losses of bearings can be reduced by up to 49.22% under dry wear, which would be an important reference for the optimal design of the “washers-cage-rollers” system of REBs.