Prediction of Friction and Wear Life of Beryllium Bronze Conductive Slip Rings under Vacuum Current-carrying Conditions

LIU Yanmin; DENG Chaowen; LUO Xiaowu; MA Ningning; YANG Lin; LI Pu; ZHOU Qinghua; ZHANG Qiang

doi:10.7643/issn.1672-9242.2026.07.009

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Equipment Environmental Engineering ›› 2026, Vol. 23 ›› Issue (7) : 80-96. DOI: 10.7643/issn.1672-9242.2026.07.009

Aviation and Aerospace Equipment

Prediction of Friction and Wear Life of Beryllium Bronze Conductive Slip Rings under Vacuum Current-carrying Conditions

LIU Yanmin¹, DENG Chaowen^2,3, LUO Xiaowu², MA Ningning², YANG Lin^2,3, LI Pu^2,*, ZHOU Qinghua^2,*, ZHANG Qiang¹

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Abstract

The work aims to investigate the friction and wear behavior and evolution mechanisms of beryllium bronze under vacuum current-carrying conditions, develop a multi-field coupled wear life prediction model to provide theoretical and data support for improving the reliability of rotating power transmission mechanisms in spacecraft, so as to address the challenges of interface damage and long-term service life of space-grade conductive slip rings under extreme high-vacuum conditions. Under vacuum conditions, using QBe beryllium bronze--a material commonly employed in space slip rings--as the research subject, 11 sets of single-variable gradient test conditions were designed to systematically analyze the effects of sliding speed (10.47-31.42 mm/s), current intensity (0-18 A), and wear distance (75.4-7 539.8 m) on tribological performance. Based on the Archard wear model and Hertzian contact mechanics, four correction factors--temperature softening, arc erosion, speed regulation, and wear particle self-lubrication--were introduced to construct a vacuum current-carrying wear prediction model, which was subsequently calibrated and validated. Under vacuum conditions, the wear volume of beryllium bronze exhibited an accelerating growth trend with increasing sliding speed and current. The wear mechanism transitioned from abrasive wear at low speeds and currents to a composite wear mechanism involving abrasion, adhesion, and arc erosion at high speeds and currents. As the wear distance increased, the self-lubrication effect reduced the wear rate during the stable wear period by 72.3% compared with the running-in period. The average relative deviation between the predicted wear volume from the calibrated model and the measured values was 9.1%, with a maximum deviation not exceeding 13%. The multi-field coupled wear model developed based on the Hertzian contact and Archard theory is applicable to spherical indenters and metal-based planar current-carrying friction pairs, and can accurately characterize the evolution of friction and wear in beryllium bronze under vacuum current-carrying conditions. Its prediction accuracy meets the requirements for aerospace engineering applications and provides a reliable basis for optimizing operating conditions and assessing the service life of space-based conductive slip rings.

Key words

conductive slip rings / beryllium bronze / current-carrying friction and wear / life prediction / Archard wear model / contact resistance / arc erosion

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LIU Yanmin, DENG Chaowen, LUO Xiaowu, MA Ningning, YANG Lin, LI Pu, ZHOU Qinghua, ZHANG Qiang. Prediction of Friction and Wear Life of Beryllium Bronze Conductive Slip Rings under Vacuum Current-carrying Conditions[J]. Equipment Environmental Engineering. 2026, 23(7): 80-96 https://doi.org/10.7643/issn.1672-9242.2026.07.009

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Funding

National Natural Science Foundation of China (52205192, 52275205); Natural Science Foundationof Sichuan Province (2026NSFSC0292); The Space Drive and Manipulation Mechanism Laboratory of BICE and National Key Laboratory of Space Intelligent Control (BICE-SDMM-2025-02)