Vacuum Test Bench
What Happens When the Lubricant Cant Catch Its Breath?
Testing components under vacuum conditions poses a particular challenge, as the chemical-physical properties of materials in a vacuum differ considerably from those under normal conditions. In the absence of air and other gases, the behaviour of conventional lubricants in particular needs to be re-evaluated, as these can have a strong influence on the performance of components such as roller bearings, guides or spindles. To support research in this area, we developed VacuTrib.
1: View into the vacuum chamber
2: Test stand from the side
3: A possible test cassette
4: Example measurement report
Multi-Component Test Unit for Vacutrib Under Dynamic Load
In order to test the lubricant properties inside different components, a special test cassette was developed for VacuTrib. It allows the simultaneous testing of angular contact ball bearings, linear roller guides and a ball screw, arranged in a closed force loop and driven by a servo-electric motor positioned outside the vacuum chamber. The components are dynamically loaded by tensioning them with coil springs.
Comparison of two vacuum lubricants - The inferior fluid shows an early failure with increasing motor or drive torque, rising temperature and an increase in vacuum pressure due to outgassing of the lubricant. The good lubricant shows constant conditions for torque, temperature and a very low vacuum pressure after a running-in phase.
