INFLUENCE OF EXTERNAL FACTORS ON THE WEAR OF COPPER-BASE MATERIALS OPERATING IN HYDROCARBON MEDIA.

A study is presented of the basic wear patterns of bronzes operating in RT fuel and show that with increase of the load the wear intensity is determined by the formation of more energetic oxides and not by increase of the number and dimensions of the particles per unit volume of worn material. The relations governing the wear of copper-base alloys operating in RT fuel under boundary lubrication conditions in the oxidative wear range have qualitatively the same nature regardless of the contacting surface geometry and the motion kinematics and differ only in absolute magnitude. With regard to wear resistance the copper alloys form a series with account for the contact geometry and the motion kinematics.