Keywords

Grease Flow, Micro Particle Image Velocimetry, Flow Visualizations, Rheology, Herschel-Bulkley, Wall Slip, Shear Banding

Track

Grease III (Session 4I)

Grease Flow in Elbow Channel

Lubricating grease is commonly applied to lubricate e.g., rolling bearings, seals and gears. Grease is a semi-solid material which prevents leakage and gives it sealing properties in addition to protect the system against corrosion and ingress of contaminants. Compared to lubricating oil, grease shows a much more complex rheology, which makes it more difficult to model and consequently more difficult to understand its flow behaviour. The flow of grease is not only determined by its rheological properties, but also by the material and roughness of the elements carrying the grease, such as seals, cages, rolling elements, and rings. In particular, the grease flow behaviour close to the surfaces of these elements has shown to be of interest and especially the existence and origins of wall slip.

Authors and Company/Institution

Lars G. Westerberg, Division of Fluid and Experimental Mechanics, Luleå University of Technology, Sweden
Josep Farré-Lladó and Jasmina Casals-Terré, Mechanical Engineering Department, UPC - Technical University of Catalonia, Spain
Jinxia Li and Erik Höglund, Division of Machine Elements, Luleå University of Technology, Sweden

Grease Flow in Elbow Channel
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