Simulation and experimental investigation on low wear rate surface contour of piston/cylinder pair in an axial piston pump

The surface modification technology affects the friction and wear resistance of the piston/cylinder pair in axial piston pumps. However, in the early operating stages, the bearing surface cannot provide optimal load-bearing and lubrication conditions, resulting in a high wear rate and rapid loss of the surface modification layer. In this paper, the variation in wear of the piston/cylinder pair with the operating time is obtained by a wear degradation model. The wear contour at the lowest wear rate is derived to guide the design of a pre-machined surface contour. The experimental results show that the pre-machined contour reduces the wear rate during the initial operating stage, with the surface modification layer covering the pre-machined surface playing a greater role.