Fraunhofer Institute for Mechanics of Materials IWMDevelopment of innovative tribocorrosion-resistant materials and coatings for seal-free rollers and plain bearings in media-lubricated applications under extreme conditions (seawater, organic process media, cleaning agents) in order to increase service life and energy efficiency.
Energy efficiency through increased service life of bearings under tribocorrosive operating conditions
Completed research project
Project description
Media-lubricated rolling bearings are used in hydropower, offshore applications, and the food industry, and must function reliably in corrosive environments. However, standard rolling bearing materials have very limited applicability under tribocorrosive conditions (combination of mechanical stress and chemical corrosion caused by aggressive media such as seawater, salt water, organic process media, and cleaning agents). The project developed and tested tribocorrosion-resistant materials and coatings for seal-less rollers and plain bearings in media-lubricated applications.
Fraunhofer IWM worked on the subproject "Molecular dynamics simulation under tribocorrosive operating conditions" (grant number 03ET1478D):
- Atomistic simulation of the interactions of DLC and ceramic surfaces with corrosive media and water-based lubricants
- Modeling of tribochemical processes at the contact surface
- Validation of experimental results through MD simulations
- Prediction of wear mechanisms under tribocorrosive conditions
Transfer of project results to the following Fraunhofer IWM R&D services for companies:
- Tribological simulation under corrosive conditions
- Atomistic materials modeling for predicting wear and failure in corrosive environments
- Surface treatments for media-lubricated applications
- Friction minimization through ceramic materials, DLC coatings, and water-based lubricants
