Influence of the Pattern of Coupling of Elements and Antifriction Interlayer Thickness of a Spherical Bearing on Structural Behavior

In this study, the behavior of the spherical bearing component of the L-100 bridge part (AlfaTech LLC, Perm, Russia) is considered within the framework of a finite element model. The influence of the pattern of the coupling of the antifriction interlayer with the lower steel plate on the operation of the part is examined in terms of ideal contact, full adhesion, and frictional contact. The thickness of the antifriction interlayer varied from 4 to 12 mm. The dependencies of the contact parameters and the stress–strain state on the thickness were determined. Structurally modified polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) without AR-200 fillers was considered the material of the antifriction interlayer. The gradual refinement of the behavioral model of the antifriction material to account for structural and relaxation transitions was carried based on a wide range of experimental studies. The elastic–plastic and primary viscoelastic models of material behavior were constructed based on a series of homogeneous deformed-state experiments. The viscoelastic model of material behavior was refined using data from dynamic mechanical analysis over a wide temperature range [−40; +80] °C. In the first approximation, a model of the deformation theory of plasticity with linear elastic volumetric compressibility was identified. As a second approximation, a viscoelasticity model for the Maxwell body was constructed using Prony series. It was established that the viscoelastic model of the material allows for obtaining data on the behavior of the part with an error of no more than 15%. The numerical analog of the construction in an axisymmetric formulation can be used for the predictive analysis of the behavior of the bearing, including when changing the geometric configuration. Recommendations for the numerical modeling of the behavior of antifriction layer materials and the coupling pattern of the bearing elements are given in this work. A spherical bearing with an antifriction interlayer made of Arflon series material is considered for the first time.