Work

The Influence of Coating Thickness and Interface Microcracks on Contact Stresses in Ceramic Bearings: A Discrete Element Study

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: This paper investigates the contact stress induced by a rigid sphere sliding on a coating-ceramic system. A discrete element model incorporating a ceramic substrate, a surface coating, and a rigid sphere is developed. The influences of the coating grain elastic modulus, coating surface friction coefficient, coating thickness, and interface microcrack defects on the stress distribution within the system are analyzed. The results indicate that a higher coating-to-substrate elastic modulus ratio increases the overall stress but reduces the interfacial shear stress. A lower surface friction coefficient is more beneficial for hard coatings. The relatively optimal coating thickness (h/a) is approximately 0.5. When interface microcrack defects are present, stress concentrations occur at their locations. Longer interface microcracks lead to greater stress concentration, and the interfacial concentrated stress increases with crack length.

Source: Crystals

DOI: 10.3390/cryst16020146

Authors: Ying Li, Xiaojiao Gu, Jinghua Li, Xiaozheng Xu, He Lu

Institutions: Shenyang Ligong University, Dalian University of Technology, Shenyang Institute of Engineering

Language: English

Topic: Adhesion, Friction, and Surface Interactions

Subfield: Mechanics of Materials

Field: Engineering

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $2,534

Funders: National Natural Science Foundation of China, Department of Science and Technology of Liaoning Province