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Twin Roller (TE74S) Tribometer

The TE 74 Two Roller Machine, manufactured by Phoenix Tribology Ltd .,  is for the study of traction, wear and rolling contact fatigue under conditions of heavily loaded, lubricated, pure rolling and rolling and sliding.

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The TE 74 Two Roller Machine, manufactured by Phoenix Tribology Ltd .,  is for the study of traction, wear and rolling contact fatigue under conditions of heavily loaded, lubricated, pure rolling and rolling and sliding. The machine incorporates two motors, one to provide the input power and one to absorb the transmitted power.

To achieve the necessary high contact pressures, high loads with small diameter rollers are employed, hence the test rollers are mounted on shafts with bearings on either side, in the “fully supported” configuration. As a consequence, spindle bearings are exposed to, and must run in, the test lubricant.  Loading is achieved by means of a servo controlled pneumatic bellows actuator with force transducer feedback.

TE77 twin disc/roller tribometer
TE74 twin disc tribometer

The drive to the lower roller incorporates an in-line torque transducer for measuring the input torque to the system.  A vibration sensor is provided for detecting surface failure. The upper roller housing is electrically insulated and slip rings are provided on the roller shafts for electrical contact resistance measurement.

A lubricant service module is fitted as standard incorporating a sump tank with immersion heater, delivery pump, scavenge pump and oil to water heat exchangers for cooling.

The TE 74 has PC based sequence programmable control and data acquisition. This is provided by an integrated Serial Link Interface Module and COMPEND 2000 software running on a host PC, operating under Windows. Data is stored to hard disc in standard spread sheet compatible file formats (.csv or .tsv).

The reciprocating tribometer (TE77) has been used for study of White Etching Cracks (WEC) formation in bearing steels and the influence of various drivers.  Also well as the detection of crack propagation in hybrid contact by acoustic emission and electrostatic condition monitoring.

It has also been used in consultancy jobs including the retention of grease on rail steel and the abrasion in rolling contacts.

Papers that employ the twin disc tribometer:

Tribometer Specifications:

Attribute Range/Value
Type:

Circulating power, Fully supported roller, Spindles adjacent, Fixed shaft centre distance

Contact: Line or point contact
Test Conditions: Pure Rolling, Sliding/Rolling
Environment: Lubricated*
Standard Roller Diameters: 40 mm on 40 mm
Maximum Roller Difference: 65 mm on 15 mm
Maximum Roller Thickness: 12 mm
Maximum Load: 12 kN
Roller Temperature: Ambient to 150°C
Motor Power: 5.5 kW
Motor Base Speed: 1500 rpm
Motor Maximum Speed: 3000 rpm
Drive Ratio: 1:1
Maximum Roller Speed: 3000 rpm
Maximum Torque at 3000 rpm: 17.5 Nm
Maximum Surface Speed (40 mm Roller): 6.28 m/s
Drive Ratio: 2:1
Maximum Roller Speed: 6000 rpm
Maximum Torque at 6000 rpm: 8.75 Nm
Maximum Surface Speed (40 mm Roller): 12.56 m/s
Controlled Parameters Motor speed, Motor speed difference, Applied load, Test fluid temperature, Test duration
Measured Parameters Motor speed, Motor speed difference, Applied load, Transmitted torque, Lubricant inlet temperature, Test bath outlet temperature, Vibration sensor output, Electrical contact resistance
Electricity: 380/415V, three phase plus neutral, 50/60 Hz, 15 kW

* - there is an oil module, but nCATS has developed a set up with corrosion-resistance materials and sealed bearing for operating with water-based environment.

Below are links to download technical drawings for the TE74 samples.

Note that these are generic drawings and are dependent on the type of testing intended and the material, thus should only be used as a guidance.

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