Abstract
KEYWORDS – ball joint, suspension, vehicle, STM microscope, RA profile
ABSTRACT The following paper describes research of exploited elements of vehicle suspension – the ball joints. The wear degree of the selected pins was compared in terms of mileage of the vehicle, period of the exploitation and the car model. This investigation aimed at determination of the roughness profiles for new and exploited elements. Test bench research was performed using a scanning tunneling microscope (direct current mode, needles made of Pt-Ir wire (10% iridium, 90% platinum) 0,25 mm in diameter cut with sharp blades) and AFM. The exploitation of the pins visible on the STM microscope enabled determination of the exploitation and Ra parameter profiles as a function of number of cycles and load. Basing on it, it was possible to estimate the mileage and the time after which it was necessary to perform a verification or a replacement of a particular element.