Lubricant Evaluation for Bearing Systems Operating in Spatial Environments

Abstract

This paper presents a general summary of the results of several programs which were directed toward the selection of lubricants for rolling contact bearings operating in a spatial environment. The test procedures and results of evaporation tests on various lubricants and greases are described. In some of these tests, the effect of combined exposure to vacuum and radiation was determined. The problem of accelerating the tests in order to simulate long time exposure to spatial conditions was approached by using higher test temperatures to hasten evaporation. Several soft metal films and one plastic coating were evaluated as solid lubricants in instrument size bearings running at 3000 rpm. The results are summarized.