Influence of MoS₂ coating treatment on the damage behaviour of the self-lubricating friction pair of spherical plain bearings

This study applied a MoS2 coating layer on the surface of 100Cr6 bearing steel balls through high-temperature sintering and tested and evaluated the modified friction pair. Compared to the unmodified friction pair, the MoS2 coating treatment significantly improved the self-lubricating property of the friction pair, reduced the friction coefficient of the friction pair by 0.05, maximum wear depth was reduced by 32% during the test cycle and prolonged the retention time of the PTFE transfer film at the friction interface. After modification, the wear mechanism of the friction pair changed from abrasive wear to fatigue wear and then to slight adhesive wear. Results indicate that MoS2 coating has great application prospects in improving the tribological properties and operational reliability of spherical plain bearings.