Service Life of Solid Lubricated Bearing of Space Swing Motor: A Ground Experimental Simulation

The service life, of the two calibration component sets of the solid-lubricated bearing used in the swing motor of Infrared Earth Sensor, was evaluated by ground experimental simulation in vacuum.The simulated results show that operating at a current of 0.16~0.18 A, the cumulative operating life of the swing motor in-orbit was over 10 years.In addition, the worn surface microstructures of the calibration components in the simulation, including the inner/outer ring raceways and balls, were characterized with scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive spectroscopy.The results show that no obvious pits and wear-tracks were observed on the well-defined surfaces involved, and that some MoS₂ lubricating thin film still existed after the service-life test.We suggest that MoS₂ solid lubricant may work pretty well in micro bearing installed in space oscillating rotating components.