Development of a Tribotester for Investigation of Ferrofluids Lubrication Performance on the Thrust Pad Bearing

The purpose of this study was to design a tribotester that can evaluate the lubrication performance of ferrofluids under the effect of a magnetic field. A novel bronze-based tribopair was fabricated with the potential to employ a controllable magnetic field in such a way that it accurately mimics the friction of a thrust pad bearing. The designed experimental scheme enables direct measurement of the normal load and the friction torque of ferrofluid-lubricated contacts. The stability of the tribotester was ensured by calibration tests. After calibration of the tribotester, lubrication tests were carried out. The surface morphology of the rubbed specimens was characterized by scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive spectroscopy, and optical microscopy. The friction-reducing property, antiwear mechanism, and self-repairing ability of ferrofluid lubrication are discussed according to the test and characterization results. The results show that the ferrofluid lubrication method is an effective approach for lubrication of a thrust pad bearing.