Analysis of the Effect of the Chemical Composition of Bearing Alloys on Their Wear under Wet Friction Conditions

This paper discusses the results of a study to determine the effect of the chemical composition of two tin-based bearing alloys (B89 and B83) on their tribological properties. The tribological properties were tested using a T05 block-on-ring tester under technically dry and wet friction conditions. The research includes the determination of the wear rates, loss of mass, coefficients of friction, and changes in the coefficient of friction as a function of the process and material parameters. A study of the microstructure and base properties of such alloys, which affect the tribological properties and wear, are also presented. The study showed that chemical composition has a significant effect on the tribological properties; increasing the proportion and changing the morphology of the SnSb precipitates to rhomboidal in the B83 alloy results in an increase in wear resistance represented by loss of mass. Decreasing the size and proportion of these precipitates results in a stabilization of the frictional force variation and a slight decrease in the coefficient of friction. The research showed that SnSb phase precipitation is mainly responsible for the wear resistance of the investigated bearing alloys.