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NASA
Reference
Publication
1240
1990
Liquid Lubrication
"Space
in
Erwin V. Zaretsky
Lewis Research Center
Cleveland, Ohio
N/kSA
National Aeronautics and
Space Administration
Office of Management
Scientific and Technical
Information Division
Trade names or manufacturers' names are used in this report for identification
only. This usage does not constitute an official endorsement, either expressed or
implied, by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
rapid evaporation of the liquid or semisolid grease lubricants
Summary
normally employed. Since lubrication ordinarily takes place
The requirement for long-term, reliable operation of aero- by means of a film entrained between sliding or rolling sur-
faces, the loss of this film due to evaporation and mechanical
space mechanisms has, with a few exceptions, pushed the state
of the art in tribology. Space mission life requirements in the working can result in failure of the mechanism.
early 1960's were generally 6 months to a year. The proposed With many metals the lubrication function is strongly
U.S. space station scheduled to be launched in the 1990's must influenced by the presence or absence of oxide films on these
be continuously usable for 10 to 20 years. Liquid lubrication metals. The surface oxides frequently act as protective films
systems are generally used for mission life requirements longer and, in some cases, contribute to the final surface films through
than a year. Although most spacecraft or satellites have reached either chemical reaction or chemisorption. At altitudes greater
their required lifetimes without a lubrication-related failure, than 89 km (55 miles) oxygen and nitrogen do not exist as
the application of liquid lubricants in the space environment the ordinary molecular species but rather in the atomic or ionic
state. The reaction rates between most metals and atomic
presents unique challenges. This report reviews the state of
the art of liquid lubrication in space as well as the problems oxygen are markedly different from those with molecular
and their solutions. oxygen. At altitudes greater than 1287 km (800 miles) atomic
hydrogen and helium are the principal species present.
Mechanisms in a closely sealed satellite are likely to operate
Introduction in a water vapor pressure of greater than 10 7 torr during
their first year in orbit. The atmosphere may include trace
Tribology problems have grown with aerospace advances
quantities of carbon monoxide, heavy hydrocarbons, and light
made over the past 30 years as shown in figure 1 (from Kannel
silicone polymers with an occasional burst of ammonia from
and Dufrane, 1986). In the beginning of the space age life
the decomposition products of the hydrazine motors. Some
requirements were minutes or hours. In the early 1960's they
components on the exterior of the satellite operate in a much
were generally 6 months to a year. Early deep-space probes cleaner environment, the gas pressure generally being less than
were notable exceptions, but these probes had relatively few
10- l0 torr, but with occasional bursts of ammonia (Robbins,
mechanical assemblies with high cyclic requirements. By the
1975). Because of the scarcity of oxygen, oxide films are
mid-1960's mission life requirements had increased to 3 to
formed at a rate inadequate for lubrication.
5 years. By the mid-1970's life requirements of 7 to 10 years
At extremely low pressure levels (where gas conduction and
were common (Ahlborn et al., 1975). The proposed U.S. space
convection are absent) the temperature levels will normally
station scheduled to be launched in the 1990's must be
be dictated by thermal radiation. Heat will be absorbed by
continuously usable for 10 to 20 years; that is, a 10-year design
radiation from any object that the mechanism "sees," and the
life requirement with a 20-year life goal (Dolan and
mechanism will, in turn, reject heat to outer space by radiation.
McMurtrey, 1985). Despite significant advances in lubrication
Various mechanisms will have different temperature levels
and mechanical component technology, the demands of these
depending upon their relative rates of heat gain and loss.
aerospace systems appear to grow faster than the technology. Robbins (1975) reports that the temperature is controlled by
Lubrication problems in space include
using carefully selected thermal blankets to balance the heat
(1) Very low ambient pressure absorbed from the 6000 K (10 341 °F) radiation of the Sun,
(2) Presence of atomic species other than the normally
the heat radiated by the satellite at 300 K (81 °F), and the
encountered molecular species
internal heat generation. He states that in order to provide an
(3) Thermal radiation
equable temperature for electronic components most satellite
(4) Absence of a gravitational field
mechanisms are designed to operate within a narrow
The absolute pressure outside the Earth's atmosphere (e.g.,
temperature band, usually in the range 280 to 320 K (45 to
above 1609 km (1000 miles) altitude) is approximately 10 - 13
117 OF). Lubricant evaporation from surfaces is a function
torr; the absolute pressure in interstellar space is approximately
of temperature. Hence, a mechanism's temperature is
l0-16 torr. Figure 2 shows pressure as a function of altitude
important to the lubrication process and thus to its survivability.
(Jastrow, 1960). The low-pressure environment contributes to
Strategic _ .
Defense / :_pacec_an
Ini_"" Complexity
sta,c_ Tdbology
/ problems
Voyage,,/ / I"
Shuttle "_ /
_r
o
I.-
--- I I I I I
1950
1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010
Year
Figure l.--Growth of tribology requirements with advances in space. Kannel and Dufrane (1986).
naphthenic andparaffinicmineraloils.Thenaphthenic-oil-
lubricated bearingsfailedin743hrbecause ofacomplete loss
ofoil.Theparaffinic-oil-lubricated bearings lastedmorethan Z
1.5
long-lifeapplications in space.
Inthe1970's twolubricants weredeveloped andsuccessfully tn .5
ground testedintheUnitedKingdom: asuperrefined mineral
oil(BP110) andatriester fluid(BP135)(Roberts etal.,1990). t
Theproblemsassociated with high vaporpressure and 0 30 60 90 120 150 180X106
6O
TABLE I.--EFFECT OF VISCOSITY ON EVAPORATION RATE OF TWO
LUBRICANTS IN A 0.133-MPa (10-6-torr) VACUUM
20 at 40 *C, mg/cm2-hr
m2/sec
14 × 106 18
10 Superrefined paraffinic mineral oil (SRG 30)
27 13
I I 1 Superrefined
Perfluoro ether
paraffinic
a
mineral oil (SRG 40)
8 2.2
10 -6
1E-O 28 ,19
0 50 100 Perfluoro ether _
357 .0002
Temperature, °C Perfluoro ether _
Figure 3.--Viscosity as a function of temperature for a homologous series aT_pe and manufacturer not specified tn reference
v
omblin
l
I Krvtox
of the lubricant has been observed. This degradation has $200
resulted in high bearing torque noise and excessive wear Demnum z25 ] z&56
(Stevens, 1983). Average molecular weight 840C
95{)01 11 OR)O
Kinetic viscosity at 20 °C, cS 500 + 25
The work of Baxter and Hall (1985) with Fomblin Z25 255] 2717
Viscosity index 210
suggests that the degradation is caused by the presence of Pour point, °C 355 i .......
-53
chemically active surfaces, wear particles combined with Density at 20 °C, g/ml l. 894 1.85t661 1.92:
- 15
exposed radicals in the fluid, or both. Zehe and Faut (1989) Surface tension at 20 °C, dyne/cm 19
and Carre (1987) suggest that metal oxide surfaces in contact Vapor pressure, torr: 251 19 i
At 20 °C 5×10 tt
with acetal-containing PFPE lubricants (i.e., Fomblin Z25) will At 100 °C 1 × 10 -7 [xlO-g t:[
2.9x10 IxlO-_ t._
3x10
inevitably result in acidic breakdown of the ethers. They
conclude that little can be done to the PFPE chains to block
the acidic attack without compromising the viscosity- formed. There were no gaseous products from the Krytox or
temperature qualities of the acetal groups. Demnum fluids.
Mori and Morales (1989a,b) studied the effects of Krytox Solutions to the problem of thermo-oxidative breakdown
16256 and Demnum $200 (Daikin) in addition to Fomblin Z25. should focus on the surfaces in contact with the liquid. Some
Fomblin Z25, a copolymer of perfluoromethylene and success in blocking thermo-oxidative degradation of linear
perfluoroethylene oxides, is the only one of three fluids PEPE'S below 570 K (566 °F) has been achieved with the use
that contains an acetal linkage. Krytox 16256 is a of additives containing nitrogen or phosphorous atoms. The
poly(perfluoropropylene oxide) with pendent -CF 3 groups. action of these additives may depend upon their ability to block
Demnum $200 is a poly(perfluoropropylene oxide). The acidic sites on the surface (Jones et al., 1983, 1985). Other
properties of PFPE fluids are sununarized in table II. approaches may involve surface modification to limit
Mori and Morales (1989a) found that PFPE decomposition decomposition, since it is the catalytic action of the resulting
and the resulting reaction products are dependent on the surface that accelerates the breakdown (Zehe and Faut, 1989).
particular molecular structure of the PFPE fluid when irradiated Table III (from Roberts et al., 1990) lists factors that both
by x-rays under ultra-high-vacuum conditions. They also promote and retard PFPE degradation.
studied the reaction of the PEPE fluids with AISI 440C stainless
steel during sliding under 10 -m torr at room temperature Performance Characteristics
(Mori and Morales, 1989b). All three fluids reacted with the
Thomas (1980), in order to provide data for ball bearing
AISI 440C material during sliding. Fomblin Z25 decomposed
torque calculations, performed sliding tests in air using AISI
during sliding and gaseous products, mainly COFe, were
52100 balls with the more common spacecraft lubricants
Starved conditions
Fully llooded conditions
(e.g.. grease plating)
High specific film thickness {_x > 4)
Low specific fihn thickness (k < 1)
Fomblin Y type of perfluorinated oil
Fomblin Z type of perfluorinated oil base (branched structure); Krytox
base (linear structure) rarely used in Europe
19.1_+0.9× 1015 20
Unlubricated, "failed" a0.46
I
combines asperityinteractions andfluidfihneffects, isreferred I
toasthe"mixed-lubrication regime."Finally,atlowvalues _o
I
I
oftheZN/Pparameter istheboundary lubricationregime.This E
I
regimeis highlycomplex,involvingmetallurgy, surface t .--Transition
strength,thickness, surface adhesion, fihncohesion, melting Figure 7--Wear rate as a function of relative load, depicting various lubrication
pointor decomposition temperature, andsolubility. regimes. Beerbower (1972).
Elastohydrodynamic Theory
To. ue
measurement,
N-m
0.17
measurement,
percent 100 Yo
(very thin film) mE
Time
Figure 9.--Angular-contact ball bearing torque and film thickness measurement with no lubricant and marginal lubrication. Bearing bore, 90 mm; contact
angle, 15"; thrust load, 267 N (60 lb); number of balls, 21; speed, 100 rpm; lubricant, Apiezon C. Torque spikes imply instability. Kannel and Dufrane (1986).
I
1.8
1.4
1.0
E
E. .6
440C steel race Martensite -.-' ,,
M23C6 --/ L Ra(cla ) &O.03 urn
E L ,
ell
(a) 10 .urn
"1o
.2 I I I I
1.8 TiC-coated
440C steel batr
O Vacuum (10-5torr) ,,--R=(cla)< 0.007
/% Air (760 tort)
1.0
.6
Z. Ra(cla ) :.-0.03
0 20 40 60 80 100 120 M23 C 6 --J'
(a) Superrefined mineral oil. Figure l l.--Representation of lubricated ball-race contact with and without
(b) SAE 90 EP gear oil. titanium carbide coating on ball. Boring et aI. (1987).
I0
Boving et al. (1987) tested both TiC-coated and uncoated Molecular
AFBMA grade 3 A1SI 440C balls in uncoated races (fig. 1 l(b)). seal _ : [
The race surface was approximately five times rougher than Satellite /-- Locking
the ball surface. Gyro spin axis ball bearings with the uncoated device [or
_nterface _. , , launch
steel balls running uninterrupted at 30 000 rpm for 20 000 hr
underwent a steady lubricant breakdown with increased noise
Nylon oil
and vibration levels. McKee (1987) tested TiC-coated balls reservoir
under identical conditions; there was practically no lubricant on shaft
breakdown and the noise and vibration levels remained low lip
The larger the value of DP, the more likely that the cage Blocking
will be unstable. An approximate criterion tor cage stability
is given in figure 13. To check stability, values of the ball- Loewenthal (1988) describes another tbrm of torque
cage friction coefficient)"and a cage restitution factor e, must variation experienced in oil-lubricated, oscillating gimbal
be known, where bearings such as those used in the Hubble Space Telescope
high-gain antenna (HGA) drive. The bearings were a 66.7-N
(15-1b) preloaded pair of A541 (27-ram bore) size, duplex
angular-contact ball bearings mounted face to Pace. Each
bearing contained 24 balls with a diameter of 3.18 mm
An accurate assessment of cage stability requires analyzing (0.125 in.), an inner and outer ball-race conformity of
the cage motions with comprehensive computer models. 51.8 percent, and a one-piece, inner-land-guided, phenolic-
Cage instabilities reported lot DMA bearings have typically laminated cage. The bearing was lubricated by KG 80 oil.
occurred in bearings lubricated with a Vackote lubricant During testing under repeated cycling the gimbal drag torque
(basically Apiezon C). At room temperature this lubricant increased from a nominal 14 N-mm (2 in.-oz) to as high as
pr_xtuces a damping parameter DP greater than unity, implying 127 N-ram (18 in.-oz). This drag approached the stall torque
an instability. The damping parameter can be greatly reduced of the drive motor. The torque trace for these bearings is shown
by using a lower viscosity lubricant, which hypothetically in figure 14. The bearing oscillated _+96 ° at a cycling rate
should produce a stable cage (Kennel et el., 1976). in order of 0.5 deg/sec. The highest torques only occurred at the end-
to ewduate this hypothesis, Kannel et al. (1976) conducted of-travel reverse point shown at the -96 ° location in
bearing tests with an SAE 10 mineral oil (50 cP), Vackote figure 14(b).
(192 cP), and Apiezon C (176 cP). The cage for these tests Loewenthal (1988) reports that this torque anomaly was
observed with six UGA gimbals. The gimbal design was
essentially identical to an earlier gimbal that exhibited no such
1.0 torque anomaly. Todd (1981) had reported the same
phenomenon (termed "blocking") in hard-preloaded pairs of
.8 -- ball bearings oscillated over a 90 ° arc. Loewenthal (1988)
,6 stat}le discusses the various causes of blocking. Among these are a
.4 _e url
ball speed variation caused by bearing misalignment: as the
Cage stable balls advance or retard from the average speed they squeeze
_ 2 the cage's ball pockets. In oscillatory bearings the distance
0
errors between the balls and the resulting cage loading or
"windup" increase with rotation, reaching a maximum at the
0 .2 .4 .6 ,8 10
end of travel and then decreasing as rotation is reversed. A
Restitution factor, ec
common approach to reducing this problem is to use alternating
Figure 13. Cage rc_,titution [a,.'tor Ior determining cage stability. Kennel and toroid ball separators so that the balls can nlore freely adjust
Dufrane (1986).
their spacing. The toroidal material can be Teflon or polymfide
12
increasing the percentage of conformity reduces both spin
20x10 -3 torque and drag torque. At the 54-percent confomaity the
7 Clockwise
i predicted spin torque was 45 percent less and the predicted
drag torque was 39 percent less than that with the baseline
bearing having a 51.8-percent conformity.
oI Results of tests run with the baseline bearing and the
MO
54-percent-conformity bearing with and without toroidal
_ " separators are shown in figure 15. The measured torque
Z -20
reduction was greater than had been predicted. From these
30x 1 -3 data the blocking phenomenon appears to be the primary result
o
of spin-generated, transverse ball creep, which increases the
balls" tendency to climb the bearing raceway shoulder, rather
-u 20 '_- Counterclockwise
than of ball speed variation (Loewenthal, 1988). But according
to M.J. Todd of the European Space Tribology Laboratory,
0 Risley, England (in a letter to this author dated Jan. 15, 1990),
if all balls crept equally, there would be no blocking. This
-1(?
would then suggest that both misaligmnent and transverse
-20 --/" Clockwise creep must be present for blocking to occur.
-30 / I I 1 (b>i
-1 O0 -50 0 50 1 O0 Raceway Deposits
Rotation, deg
Phinney et al. (1988) also studied the blocking phenomenon
(a) Torque characteristics at startup.
in oscillating duplex gimbal bearing applications. In addition,
(b) Torque characlcrb4ics at failure.
they investigated torque spikes, another common occurrence.
Figure 14. Startup and failure torque charaderistics for preloaded pair of
They concluded that torque spikes were caused by debris piling
27 ran>bore, duplex angular-conlact ball bearings under oscillatory motiolL
up just before the ends of the ball paths, under repeated
C)cling rate, 0.5 deg/sec; bearing nominal preload, 66.'7 N (t5 lb); lubricant,
KG 80. Loe_'enthal (1988).
cycling, at fixed angles too short to overlap the ball tracks.
Debris piles up behind the balls by compaction before a low
wave builds up and carries any particles off to the side and
impregnated with oil. Loewenthal (1988) reports that although
the toroidal separators reduced the +'runaway" torque at the back into the running track behind the ball. The debris could
end of travel, drag torque continued to increase over time by only build up when the ball tracks did not overlap. Once the
ball tracks overlapped, the debris was redistributed such that
60 percent from startup values.
it could no longer build up when travel was shortened. Phinney
Todd (1981) suggests that not only misalignment (hence,
et al. (1988) attribute the source of the debris to particles
ball speed variation) but also transverse creep of the spinning
ball are necessary ingredients of blocking. "Tight" (51.8 generated during assembly by press fits of the hardware and
the tools used for the installation. They report that bearings
percent) ball-race conformity readily produced blocking
are run in a 360 ° rotation in the gimbal to distribute any
because of the sensitivity of ball speed to changes in contact
assembly debris. This is in addition to the run-in they receive
angle. However, under "loose" (57 percent) ball-race
conlbrmity, where the bah speed was less sensitive to contact before assembly (Phinney et al.. 1988).
There can also be other causes of torque spike. An example
angle, blocking was never observed. A disadvantage of using
is the formation of solid friction polymer from the lubricant,
the loose conformity is that at satellite launching the resultant
Hertz (contact) stress on the bearing raceway can exceed which becomes deposited in the running track and the cage
acceptable limits. However, Loewcnthal (1988) determined pockets (Hunter et al., 1987). Meeks et al. (1971) discuss the
that the confi)rmity for the Hubble Space Telescope riGA oil polymerization of F-50-1ubricated bearings. They suggest
an inverse correlation between the theoretical oil-fihn thickness
bearings could be increased from a baseline of 51.8 to 54
and the amount of polymer observed. Since the F-50 oil
percent without exceeding allowable Hertz stress limits.
Lowenthal (1988) performed a transverse creep analysis, polymerizes (or crosslinks) at approximately 589 K (601 ° F),
considering the elastohydrodynamic film in the contact to they speculate that this temperature is reached at the
behave elastically at low strain rates until the shear stress microasperity contact points with very low-viscosity oil
reached some limiting value. At this limiting value the film (fig. l l(a)). A polymer deposit will act like solid debris.
was considered to shear like a plastic material. By integrating Additional debris is generated from the ball pockets and the
the local traction forces across the contact, he computed the land-guided faces of the cage. The accumulation of this debris
net traction forces in the direction of rolling as well as in the will cause torque fluctuation and can eventually jam the bearing
transverse direction. Loewenthal (1988) concluded that (Harris, 1969).
13
30X10 -3
ConFormity,
percent
O St
25 [] ._
"_ Baseline
Open symbols denote conformity
with phenolic cage
Solid symbols denote conformity
with PTFE toroid separators
2O
E
.o_
o= lS
I
Gimbal Inverted -/
10
I I I I I I I I I I
0 5430 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000 3500 4000 4500 5000
Number of cycles
Figure" 15, Bearing torque for prcloaded pair t)l" 27-ram-bore, duplex angular-comacl hearings under oscillator_, m,fion v, ilh cmnbinati_ms of ball-race
confi)rmity and separator type. Speed, (1.5 deg/sec: oscillatory motion, 960: bearing nominal preload, 66.7 N ( 15 lb): lubricanl, KG 80, I,oewenthal (1988).
Ahlborn et al. (1975) discuss the design criteria for space I '3 ....... -,_ ' I
liquid lubrication systems. They state that, whenever possible,
sealed systems should be avoided. Seals, whether static or
rotating, offer lower reliability than an open system design
because the seals may fail. However, sealed systems are used
when considerations such as preventing the contamination of _ reservoirs, vacuum
_i "-_ Sintered-nylon
optics or planetary surfaces are important.
If a lubricant film that provides reasonably constant friction
- impregnated with
force is maintained on moving contacting surfaces, a space RotaTing shaft: .-'" diester-base oil
2750 rpm _"
mechanism can last for an indefinite time. Therefore, the
Figure 16.--Radi_meter spindle assembly li)r TIROS [l Inete_)rological
lubricant evaporated from the contacting surfaces into the space
satellite. Weinreb (1961L
environment must be replenished. Ahlborn et al. (1975) recom-
mend that the lubrication system be designed to lose only 10 on the fact that, on a molecular scale, even smooth surfaces
percent of the internal lubricant supply to space during the life appear rough, and according to Knudsen (1950) the direction
of the mission. This goal can be achieved by controlling leakage. in which a molecule rebounds after a collision with a wall
The premier work related to controlled leakage was reported is statistically independent of the angle of incidence. For this
by Weinreb (1961) lor the bearings in a mechanism for the reason the molecular flow resistance of small orifices can be
TIROS, meteorological satellite. The mechanism, shown in made relatively high. The vapor pressure inside the chamber
figure 16, was a five-channel infrared radiometer that consisted can be maintained and vaporization of the lubricant can
of five optical mirrors mounted on five gears and eight ball be minimized.
bearings driven by a low-power motor whose output torque The mechanism shown in figure 16 was designed with
was 2.12 × 10 -4 N-m (0.03 in.-oz). The design was based lubricant reservoirs of oil-impregnated sintered nylon. The
14
lubricant was a MIL-L-6085A diester oil with a vapor
pressure of approximately 10 .4 torr. When the outside t
i 5_
a
pressure was below 10-2 torr, a molecular flow occurred
around the shaft through the small clearance. The clearance I ' T
was a nominal 0.0127 mm (0.0005 in.). By using the :quation (a)
derived by Knudsen (1950), it was possible to calculate the
rate at which oil escaped from the bearing assembly. The
amount of oil was determined in the reservoirs from the
required life of the satellite and the escape rate of the lubricant.
A problem with this type of lubricating system is the potential -J-- I
of condensing oil vapor on the optical mirrors. a
where
w = 0.0583 7rP(_)(];)A
g
T a
I
-f-i
w weight loss through aperture, g/see (c)
P vapor pressure of gas, torr (a) Straight escape padl.
(b) Elbow escape path.
M molecular weight of oil vapor
(c) T-shaped escape path.
T temperature of oil vapor, K
Figure 17.--Measurahlc escape paths. Silversher {1970).
15
fully continued
fi_ran eighth year but at normal ambient
temperature. Initial sarnpte
t6
in figure 20. In this system, a positive commandable
being used on noncontacting bearing surfaces and on the
lubricator, the reservoir is sealed to prevent lubricant contami-
surfaces of molecular seals. However. normal procedure is
nation. The degassed lubricant supply is stored in a flexible
to avoid the application of barrier films within the bearing and
metal bellows. Pressure is maintained by an external spring
apply them only to escape gaps. The U.S. Naval Research
pack. Opening the release valve permits oil to inflate an
Laboratory developed a barrier film for ihstrument bearings.
The film, a fluorinated methacrylate, acts as a low-energy adjustable-stroke metering bellows. Subsequent closing of the
release valve and opening of the metering valve starts the l]ow
barrier across which most lubricants cannot creep. It is stable
in air to 423 K (302 °F) and in vacuum to 373 K (212 °F). to the applicator. Metering pressure is sufficient to overcome
the characteristic backpressure of the applicator and to provide
It outgasses at 373 K (212 °F) at a rate less than 2 × l0 _
the desired flow rate. A metering orifice provides flow rate
g-cm2/sec. Ahlborn et al. (1975) observe that because there
are differences between the various commercial barrier films. adjustment capability. The applicator is supported rigidly, in
the space between the outer race and the inner-race-guided
they should be evaluated tbr a specific application before being
retainer. In a 110-ram-bore bearing with 12.7-mm (0.5-in.)
used. They observe that some lubricant tbrmations appear to
diameter balls the space is approximately 3.81 ,rim (0.15 in.)
"poison" the surlilce of the coatings and render them
wide. A standoff distance, typically five times the expected
ineffective. They state that the mechanical and chemical
launch-induced axial ball movement, separates the applicator
stability of these fihns is improved by high-temperature
tip from the ball path. A combination of toroida[ tip shape and
vacuum baking.
Teflon coating enables the applicator to support an oil droplet
that spans the standoff distance. In the operating bearing the
Positive Feed Systems passing balls wipe off a portion of the distended hemispherical
droplet. In this manner oil is slowly and unilbrmly transferred
Large spacecraft, starting with Skylab (fig. 1), have brought
from the balls to the retainer ball pockets and to both races.
a new set of tribological problems. Smaller spacecraft could
The droplet is continuously replenished by' flow from the
be stabilized by spinning the spacecrali or by using control
metering system during the 2- to 4-rain relubrication cycle.
jets. Large, extended-mission spacecraft require large control
The positive commandable lubricator is designed for high-
moment gyroscopes (CMG's) that are capable of handling the
surface-energy oils such as Apiezon C. The high surface
large slew loads resulting from astronauts moving around the
energy of hydrocarbon oils provides the stabilizing force li)r
craft and from changing the orientation. The large CMG'S can
the lubricant droplet on the applicator tip. The system is best
be heavily loaded and operate at high speeds. Small bearings
suited for large bearings, where there is sufficient space
using lubricant-impregnated cages may no longer suffice fi)r
between the retainer dynamic envelope and the race to accept
these units, and positive lubrication of large bearings may be
the applicator (James, 1977).
required. The lubrication system has to be highly reliable but
NASa research (Loewentbal et al., 1985) with a terrestrial
extremely compact to meet weight and space requirements
experimental 46-cm (19-in.) diameter, 58-kg (128-1b) flywheel
(Kannel and Dufrane, 1986).
showed the feasibility of using a wick lubrication system in
A major tribological challenge is ensuring that the lubricant
a vacuum environment to lubricate moderate-speed bearings.
gets into the bearing to lubricate the ball-race interfaces.
Devices such as centrifugal oilers attached to the rotating shaft The flywheel with its lubrication system is shown in figure 21.
In this system a lightly spring-loaded wick saturated with oil
have been successfully used in some applications. Another
contacts a conical sleeve adjacent to the bearing inner race.
method (Glassow, 1976) uses a single-stroke pump immersed
Frictional contact against the sleeve causes a small amount
in a vented oil reservoir to pump the lubricant to the bearing.
of oil to be deposited. This oil migrates along the sleeve to
James (1977) propose; the entirely different approach shown
Metering bellows'-m
,-- Rotating
, j inner-race-
Release vane-.. "., _ ,"/- guided
Stationary
I
L outer race
Figure 20.--Positive commandable lubricator for satellite bearing application. James (1977).
17
,- Drive
/
Midspan // spindle
sland //
bearing -_ ,- Release
/
/ coupling
//
//-- Vacuum line / /
/
i oo matic \
/
/
/
I
iI
Carbon lace seat / I
1 piston and I
/ /
.J rotor i L Upper
/- Spring I rotor
!t release // preload I
/ washers -- / I bearing
J 1
I
I
Elaslomer
bearing
/ ")-- Oil
Oil reservoir ,( /
" / wick
\\ 1 feed
bearing
_L Rotor CD 90 46861
its large end and into the bearing under the centrifugal force
field. The wick absorbs oil from the reservoir; the oil travels
Absolute
through the wick by capillary action to replenish the oil housing
18
Boundary lubrication with antiwear and extreme-pressure
Concluding Remarks
additives in the lubricant in a satellite (vacuum) environment
A search of the literature revealed that spacecraft lubrication is not well defined. There is an issue as to whether these
additives are at all effective in the absence of oxygen. The
systems have, for the most part, performed adequately over
role of additives needs to be defined for these applications.
the past three decades. That is, spacecraft and satellites have
reached their required lifetimes without a lubrication-related The long-term effects of atomic oxygen and other space
failure. However, this success was achieved because the life radiation on lubricant behavior and stability remain unknown.
The effects can be important for space missions longer than
of satellite systems is generally limited by their batteries,
electronics, and thermal and optical systems. However, as 10 years.
these technologies are improved, spacecraft systems will Alternative cage materials with lower wear rates need to
be considered as replacements for phenolic-base materials,
probably become limited by the lubrication system.
Problems related to spin-stabilized satellites involve the especially in oscillating bearings, in order to inhibit the buildup
of wear debris and the potential jamming of the bearing.
despin mechanical assemblies and the slip ring assemblies,
Alternative lubrication systems providing for positive lubri-
which are required to operate with low torque ripple and low
electrical noise. Tests have verified current designs, and in cant feed to the contacting surfaces may need to be considered
for future space missions. In addition, alternative lubricants
many satellites power system failures have occurred before
lubrication failures have surfaced. However, the ability to need to be seriously examined as replacements for the
control gross bearing torque and noise is essential to achieving perfluorinated polyalkylethers (PFP_:) for long-term space
missions.
high reliability and long life.
In the fourth decade of the space age tribologists and
Spin bearings for control moment gyros, operating at speeds
aerospace design engineers face continuing challenges to
up to 12 000 rpm, have been lubricated successfully for current
achieve longer lifetimes with liquid lubrication in space.
design lives with oil-impregnated phenolic cages. Future
systems will require much longer lives as well as higher load
capabilities.
Gimbal bearings, which operate in an oscillatory mode and
rarely make a full revolution, are a major concern because
Lewis Research Center
of the blocking phenomenon and debris buildup discussed
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
herein. Careful consideration must be given to the design and
Cleveland, Ohio 44135, February 16, 1990
use of these bearings in order to achieve long lifetimes.
19
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21
Nahonal Aeronautics and
Space Adm_n_strahon
Report Documentation Page
I. Report No.
2. Government Accession No.
3. Recipient's Catalog No.
NASA RP- 1240
7. Author(s)
8. Performing Organization Report No
Erwin V. Zaretsky
E-5094
505-63-1B
9. Performing Organization Name and Address
16. Abstract
The requirement for long-term, reliable operation of aerospace mechanisms has, with a few exceptions, pushed
the state of the art in tribology. Space mission life requirements in the early 1960's were generally 6 months to a
year. The proposed U.S. space station scheduled to be launched in the 1990's must be continuously usable for 10
to 20 years. Liquid lubrication systems are generally used for mission life requirements longer than a year.
Although most spacecraft or satellites have reached their required lifetimes without a lubrication-related failure,
the application of liquid lubricants in the space environment presents unique challenges. This report reviews the
state of the art of liquid lubrication in space as well as the problems and their solutions.
NASAFORM1626OCT86 *For sale by the National Technical Information Service, Springfield, Virginia 22161
NASA-_y, 1990
i