Tribological behavior of cemented carbide for bearing in water-based drilling fluid under different axial loads

In the water-based drilling fluid environment, the contact between carbide bearings can lead to friction and wear, ultimately affecting the service life of these bearings. YG6X cemented carbide and GCr15 steel were purposely selected as the rubbing pair and exclusively placed in the water-based drilling fluid. Friction experiments were then conducted under axial loading conditions of 10, 40, 70, 100 and 130 N respectively. The results showed that as the load increased, the coefficient of friction initially increased and then decreased, while the wear rate continued to increase. And a critical load can be predicted for a mechanism transition within the range of 40-100 N, referred to as the 'transition load'. Throughout the friction experiment, wear mechanisms mainly include abrasive wear, adhesive wear, and oxidative wear. Furthermore, the water-based drilling fluid provides effective lubrication at low loads but increases wear at high loads.