Development of lead-free journal bearings

To operate, the surfaces inside an aircraft engine must withstand several conditions, such as temperature and pressure, which will cause the components to wear over time. To prevent wear and reduce maintenance costs, the manufacturer of such engines usually uses several different techniques to enhance the surface’s resistance. However, some of these techniques, such as lead-based surfaces, may not be environmentally friendly. Therefore, the main objective of this project is to understand how wear is caused in journal bearings, a major component inside aircraft engines, and so propose strategies to develop environmentally friendly surfaces. The project will use as basis actual parts from these engines provided by the partner organization and characterize them by how the wear occurs in these components. Understanding how these components wear, materials will be proposed based on the literature and interfaces tested.

Faculty Supervisor:

Pantcho Stoyanov

Student:

Partner:

Pratt & Whitney Canada

Discipline:

Engineering

Sector:

Manufacturing; Mining; Professional, scientific and technical services

University:

Concordia University

Program: