Third Paper: The Behaviour of Lubricated Steel Balls under Close-Conformity Aero-Engine Mainshaft Ball Race Conditions

The behaviour of individual ball to track contact areas is studied in close conformity oil lubricated conditions. Although primarily concerned with aero-engine operating conditions the results are expressed in dimension-less forms which permit use over a wide field of ball race geometries. An arbitrary boundary is established, based upon electrical conductance through the oil film, between running conditions which produce minimal wear damage and conditions which are probably unacceptable from this point of view. The major purpose of the paper is to focus attention on this criterion and to relate ball to track kinematic situations to it.