Investigation of the tribological properties of ultrafine diamond-graphite powder as an additive to greases

The paper presents the results of studies on the use of plastic lubricants with ultrafine diamond-graphite powder in rolling bearings. Under operating conditions, even with a short-term toughening of the operation mode, it is possible to establish the boundary mode of friction due to the extrusion of lubricant from the zone of the rolling elements contact with the tracks of the rings. This leads to an increase in friction torque and an increase in temperature, which affects the performance of rolling bearings. Reducing slippage, lowering the working temperature, limiting the friction torque can be achieved due to the quality of the lubricants used with improved anti-wear and antifriction properties. Tribological studies have established that the introduction of ultrafine diamond-graphite powder into the composition of basic industrial lubricants significantly improves their performance. The introduction of ultrafine diamond-graphite powder into a lubricant reduces the amount of rolling bearings wear 1.6–1.8 times, the friction torque - to 23–25 %. The temperature of the bearing assembly decreases by 16–20 %. The presence of a lubricant that can significantly reduce friction forces. It reduces the amount of internal stresses and retards the development of fatigue cracks, which can increase the service life of rolling bearings 1.5–2 times.