Experimental Study on the Effects of Wear and Clearance in a 3D Revolute Joint

This paper presents an experimental study on the effects of wear and clearance in a 3D revolute joint. Digital image correlation measurement is applied to obtain linkages’ motion information. A cylindricity test is carried out to measure the contour data in contact regions. Dynamic and wear behaviors of the four-bar mechanism with different bearing sizes are studied. Results show that clearance in 3D revolute joint significantly decreases system’s dynamic performance. The wear distribution on the bearing’s inner surface is non-uniform in both radial and axial directions. The maximum wear depth area locates at the bearing’s edges.