Insights

Hybrid lubrication is the application of a viscous fluid lubricant, typically a low-vapour-pressure oil, on top of a thin-film solid lubricant coating, most commonly sputtered molybdenum disulphide (MoS₂).

An important aspect in mechanism design is the selection of the appropriate lubricant for given operating conditions. In the case of fluid lubricants, it is important to understand the lubrication regime a given application will be operating in.

CABARET, ESTL’s own bearing analysis software, having its roots in rocket engine turbopump development (hence its name – Code for Analysis of BeArings in Rocket Engine Turbopumps), has a 35-year history of serving the specific analysis requirements of the European space industry, with the funding and support of the European Space Agency (ESA[M).