Cyclic contact

The group is devoted to the study of damage in components subjected to rolling contact, such as bearings, cams, gears, railway wheels and rails. The research takes advantage of a bi-disc tests bench, by which rolling and sliding tests can be done on cylindrical or crowned specimens, with diameter varying from 60 to 120 mm and thickness from 10 to 20 mm. The maximum rolling speed is 1000 rpm and the maximum contact load is 70 kN. The contact can be both dry and lubricated: moreover, solid contaminants, such as sand, can be added. The test bench is equipped with advanced systems of vision and vibration measurement, which allow the continuous monitoring and analysis of the surface damage. The group is also skilled on numerical calculation methods, based both on commercial and internally developed software. The group worked on commercial research activity with companies such as Lucchini RS, Tenaris, Nippon Steel Corporation. It participates to the IDERPLANE project as well , supported by the European Commission within the Horizon 2020 programme.