Effect of fluid pressure on adhesive wear of spherical contact

Lubrication with fluid between two rough surfaces has been extensively studied, while the present work provides an additional principle for its effect on adhesive wear reduction associated with the fluid pressure. In this work, a finite element model for elastoplastic spherical contact with fluid pressure applied on surface is established, considering the realistic ductile failure criteria. It is found that as the fluid pressure increases, the location of fracture nucleation in the front contact region moves towards the contact surface. Two wear modes, namely the detaching and scratching modes, are identified by defining a critical dimensionless fluid pressure. Accordingly, the wear coefficient decreases as the fluid pressure increases, serving as the additional principle for wear reduction in lubrication systems.