Numerical simulations of lubricated contact - Effects of variation of entraining velocity

Numerical simulations were carried out to examine the behavior of the non-steady lubrication in point contacts. The behavior of oil film in non-steady conditions was significantly different from that predicted by the classical theory of steady state EHL. When the entrainment velocity changed with a constant acceleration or deceleration, the film thickness would deviate from the corresponding value obtained in steady state. The oil film exerted a resistance to the change of film thickness. Strong squeezing action made the lubricant at the edge of contact quickly leaking out at the time of sudden stop, which resulted in the formation of edge constriction and the entrapment of remained lubricant. The load carrying capacity of the oil film was increased under transient condition. This is an abstract of a paper presented at the 2003 STLE/ASME Joint International Tribology Conference (Ponte Vedra Beach, FL 10/26-29/2003).