Analysis of Long Life Lubrication Characteristics for Space Hydrocarbon Lubricating Olis.

The fiction and wear and longlife lubrication performances of space lubricants in space environments were investigated. The hydrocarbon lubricant RP4752 was used as the research object, and the vacuum spiral orbit tribometer (SOT) and siding friction test system were used to test the lubricating oils. Nominal lubrication life, wear spot diameter and siding friction coefficient were combined with scanning electron microscopy and X-ray energy dispersive spectrometer for microscopic analysis. The results show that RP4752 has a small siding fiction factor and a long wear life in a vacuum environments, and has good vacuum boundary lubrication performance. The lubricating infrared transmittance has no significant change in 14~16.25µm band. In the vacuum life verification tests, the numbers of rotations of two scanning motors lubricated with RP4752 reach 3.02 X 10⁸, which meets the 8-year on-orbit operating life requirements of the moving mechanisms. The results form a compassion relationship with a nominal life of 1 615 rotations by SOT tests, which provides a test basis for the selection of lubricants for other space motion mechanisms and longlife lubrication design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]