Model of mechanical wear based on Markov processes

Conclusions

• 1. An analytical expression was obtained for the distribution of the working life for mechanical wear; the parameters of the distribution have specific physical significance and are determined by a special experiment.

• 2. The diffusional distribution of the life, as shown by preliminary estimates, does not disagree with experimental data and, together with other distributions, may be used for the treatment of statistical data on the life of couplings. Since the diffusional distribution was obtained on the basis of an analysis of wear kinetics, its use in estimating wear resistance is preferable to the use of other distributions based on different considerations (Weibull distribution, gamma distribution, normal distribution, etc.).

• 3. In the procedure proposed for determining the distribution law of the life, active use was made of a priori information on failure (the steady character of failure, i.e., the linear variation of the mean value and the dispersion), so that data on the lifetime can be extrapolated. Thus, the model of wear proposed may serve as the basis for the development of methods and means of accelerated testing for wear resistance.

• 4. By means of the mathematical model of wear proposed, it is fairly simple to obtain all the statistical characteristics of the reliability of coupling components necessary for engineering calculations.