Hydrogen tribology - tribology for hydrogen technologies

In a direct hydrogen environment or under the influence of hydrogen, materials tend to undergo changes that can lead to early failure and damage to components. In order to improve service life and reliability under these conditions, material and lubricant concepts are needed that counteract the damage mechanisms.

A limiting factor for the service life of highly loaded rolling bearings is the development of damage in the contact surface. Atomic hydrogen from the lubricant or moisture is produced in the rolling contact. The hydrogen diffusing into the steel surfaces causes one of the most common forms of damage to lubricated rolling contacts, the so-called "white etching cracks" (WEC).

The development of a hydrogen infrastructure also requires the development of system components that must function safely and maintenance-free in direct contact with hydrogen. The associated major uncertainties in safeguarding the functionality of such infrastructure components such as compressors or fittings must be eliminated by examining, testing and evaluating tribologically stressed materials, lubricants and components close to the point of use.

We clarify the mechanisms of action of hydrogen in tribological systems. We evaluate the service life of tribological systems under hydrogen load and we develop solutions for increasing the performance of tribological systems in contact with hydrogen.

R&D services regarding hydrogen tribology for your company

Tribological test methods

• Investigations into the influence of the lubricant formulation upon the release of hydrogen in tribological sliding contact using an electrochemical cell (Devanathan-Stachurski)
• Rolling bearing tests for risk assessment of lubricants with regard to hydrogen-induced rolling bearing damage
• Investigation of rolling bearing materials and lubricants with regard to their behavior under hydrogen atmosphere in rolling bearing testing
• Aging of materials and lubricants in a hydrogen atmosphere. Investigation of changes in tribological properties as a result of aging
• Quantification of the wear behavior of valves for internal combustion engines under different atmospheres, loads and temperatures

Materials and damage analyses

• Investigation of hydrogen-induced damage to components such as WEC damage in rolling bearings
• Hydrogen analysis of components using carrier gas hot extraction and thermal desorption spectroscopy. Measurement of the integral amount of hydrogen and/or the binding energies of hydrogen in the samples
• Surface analyses with regard to tribological damage mechanisms and surface composition
• Clarification of microstructural damage as a result of hydrogen exposure
• Lubricant analyses with regard to lubricant degradation

Development of concepts, simulations and testing technology

• Increasing the service life of tribological systems in a hydrogen atmosphere
• Improving the degradation stability of lubricants under hydrogen load
• Measuring cells for in-situ hydrogen detection in tribological tests
• Tribological test concepts in a hydrogen vapor atmosphere
• Modeling of hydrogen diffusion in tribocontact with the aim of developing service life models

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Selected research projects

Increasing the service life, load capacity and reliability of bearing and gearbox components in wind turbines

The WindPower-Life project investigated the development and prevention of failure-critical electrical and electrochemical interference in bearing and gearbox components. At a model level, it was shown how these disturbances can be influenced in such a way that the tendency of the system to fail prematurely is significantly reduced.

Development of a simulation method for predicting the service life of rolling bearings in contact with hydrogen

The CoLifeHy project aims to predict and prevent early failures of rolling bearings due to hydrogen-induced damage.

The simulation method to be developed in this project will be used to model contact stress-induced hydrogen diffusion as a function of hydrogen concentration and its effect on mechanical material behavior, hydrogen trap density and internal material stresses. In order to make quantitative lifetime predictions, material parameters are determined on hydrogen-loaded samples. Fatigue tests with hydrogen-loaded rolling bearings illustrate the influence of the hydrogen content on the service life. The hydrogen content in the samples is precisely determined by hydrogen analysis.

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