RSM-ANOVA Optimization of Misalignment and Contamination Effects on Dry Rolling Contact: Experimental and Statistical Study

This paper will look into the synergy of the shaft misalignment and contaminant particles size in determining the performance and wear behavior of dry rolling contacts. The 27 (L27) controlled laboratory experiments were conducted using a custom built rolling contact test rig that was developed to reproduce realistic angular misalignments and particle Contaminant size that is common with mechanical assemblies. Tests on dry rolling were conducted using different operating parameters and the resulting friction, wear rate and damages on the surfaces were measured. The Response Surface Methodology (RSM) was used to design the experiments and statistically test the impacts of the variables like Rotational velocity, Mesalignment angle, Contaminant particles size and load. The outcomes proved that misalignment and rotational velocity are the most dominant ones with their interaction being extremely significant to surface roughness (p-value = 0.0002). The regression models of the cubic-interactions have been developed, and the response of the system is fairly predicted as attested by the coefficients of determination (R2) of 0.9954 in the case of wear and 0.9731 in the case of roughness. An optimal operation range was found by multi-response optimization with predicted values of 0.030 mm wear and 1.401 μm roughness. The conclusion is that the interaction of misalignment and speed is very important and that it is best to keep the components in accurate alignment to reduce accelerated degradation on surfaces and increase the life cycle of the components.