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This page was translated automatically using artificial intelligence (DeepL). The German version is binding. More information about automatic translation
Plastic plain bearings are an everyday fixture with a vast range of applications across various sectors, such as agricultural machinery, the automotive industry, the construction machinery sector and the aviation industry. They are extremely popular due to their cost-effective manufacture, high resistance to various media and lubrication-free operation. As the friction and wear characteristics of plastic materials continue to be optimised, they are increasingly replacing metal bearings. As a result, they are also being used in applications subject to high loads. The problem here is that wear behaviour is often very difficult to predict accurately, meaning that service life and the point of failure cannot be precisely determined. This also makes it difficult to plan maintenance intervals, and the plain bearings must either be replaced prematurely, or unplanned machine downtime may occur, leading to associated production losses or even consequential damage. This results in the loss of remaining service life and can lead to high costs.
As part of this research, the Intelligent Machine Systems Chair, within Professor Jörg Hübler’s research group, is developing a plastic plain bearing that features integrated sensor technology made from conductive plastics, to detect wear over the course of its operational life, thereby preventing unforeseen failures and making optimum use of the remaining service life (Figure 1).
The basic principle of wear measurement is based on continuously measuring the electrical resistance of the conductively modified plastic during operation, thereby providing an indication of the bearing’s degree of wear. To gain a better understanding of the electrical behaviour of conductive plastics under various environmental conditions, extensive investigations were carried out in a thermal cycling chamber. In these tests, temperature and humidity were varied whilst the electrical resistance of the conductive plastic samples was measured. The results in Figure 2 show that the conductive modified plastics TPU (yellow) and PBT (grey) are capable of following the specified temperature cycling profile (black). They are therefore suitable for use as temperature sensors. Furthermore, it became apparent that PA66 (green), in particular, reacts very poorly and in an unpredictable manner to temperature changes. The conductive PPS (blue) shows virtually no change in its electrical resistance when the temperature changes.
The results of the investigations, outlined here in broad terms, will now help to further develop the plastic plain bearing with intelligent wear monitoring in collaboration with the project partner Lauer Harz GmbH, and to select suitable conductive plastic materials. The research project thus provides the basis for making maintenance intervals for plastic plain bearings more predictable and for avoiding downtime or even consequential damage. Consequently, there is enormous potential to reduce costs and ensure more sustainable maintenance, which avoids the premature replacement of bearings that are still serviceable. The innovative plastic plain bearing with integrated sensor technology therefore stands out as a more economical and environmentally friendly alternative to conventional plastic plain bearings.
Norman Katzer has been working at Mittweida University of Applied Sciences since 2020 and has been researching the integration of sensor technology for wear detection in plastic plain bearings ever since. Prior to this, he studied Mechanical Engineering, specialising in aerospace engineering, at Dresden University of Technology. The research paper was submitted as part of the 23rd Conference for Academic Talent and included in the programme.
The ZIM projects ZF 4516707LP9 and KK 5169407KU1 were funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action as part of the Central Innovation Programme for SMEs, following a resolution of the German Bundestag. We would like to thank the aforementioned institutions for providing the funding.