Keywords

Elastohydrodynamic Lubrication, Thermal EHL, Surface Elastic Deformation, Mixed Lubrication

Track

Lubrication Fundamentals VIII (Session 8A)

A 3D Thermal EHL Model For Point Contact Analysis

Elastohydrodynamic lubrication (EHL) is a common mode of fluid-film lubrication in which many machine elements operate. Its thermal behavior is an important concern especially for components working under extreme conditions such as high speeds, heavy loads and surfaces with significant roughness. Previous studies focused mainly on the solutions under the full-film lubrication conditions. The present study intends to develop a more realistic three-dimensional thermal EHL model for point contact problems that is capable of covering the entire spectrum of lubrication modes from the full-film and mixed lubrication all the way down to boundary lubrication and dry contact with machined engineering roughness, solving a generalized Reynolds equation with the semi-system approach, in combination with the energy equation. Developed numerical algorithms have demonstrated a good ability to achieve stable solutions with fast convergence in an extremely wide range of operating conditions.

Authors and Company/Institution

Xiaopeng Wang and Dong Zhu, School of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
Yuchuan Liu, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL