Tribological diagnostics of machinery

Tribologicsl diagnostics as the ensemble of means and methods of continuous monitoring of the state of friction characteristics of moving junctions is playing an ever important part in the development of friction, lubrication, and wear theory end practice. The scheme presenting the main areas of tribological diagnostics is given in Fig. I. This growing part of TD is determined by the general tendency of modern technology, expressed in an attempt to organically combine the functions of measuring, evaluating,and predicting the parameters and characteristics of the processee taking place in the operating device. The logical result of this integration in future is the closed system correcting its operation in accordance with sn established program. Unfortunately, tribotechnicsl devices are still very far from such an ideal system at the present time. While in the friction assemblies with hydrodynamic lubrication it is possible in the first approximation to realize feed-backs in the lubricant circulation system with the aid of monitoring of the pressure, temperature and filtration, in the systems operating without lubrication and with boundary lubricetion even the process of selection of the diagnostic parameters has not been completed.