Abstract
The work discussed here is a continuation of the study presented in [1], in which a customized test apparatus was presented that was capable of conducting tribological related experiments on sliding components commonly used in hydrokinetic devices such as bearings, drive shaft and seals. The wear on critical sliding components introduces unnecessary clearances which can significantly reduce the performance and reliability of hydrokinetic devices. In the previous study [1], four types of bearings, namely Vesconite, CIP, Feroform T814, and Poly Crystalline Diamond (PCD) coated bearings were tested for 60 h in clean water. The data showed that PCD bearings outperformed polymer based bearings in terms of wear and frictional resistance. In the present study, the same set of bearings were tested for 60 h in fresh sedimented water. The experimental data revealed that PCD bearings had higher wear resistance as compared to its polymer based counterparts. In addition to wear on bearing surface, a significant amount of wear on the drive shaft was observed. These results reveal that (in addition to high wear resistant polymer bearings) a surface hardened shaft may increase the longevity of bearing-shaft assembly in sedimented water.