Effect of surface texturing on lubrication performance of ball-on-disc point contacts

The numerical simulations of surface textures in fully flooded point-contact lubrication were conducted based on the unified Reynolds equation model. The friction reducing mechanism was demonstrated by systemically analyzing the periodic change of friction coefficients of surface textures. The lubricant rheological parameters used in the simulations were calibrated by experiments. The numerical results show good agreements with experimental results, i.e. friction coefficient reached its minimum value when the dent moved to the front boundary of the Hertzian contact region. Also, the local film thickness reduction in front of the dent and enhancement in the back were observed. Local film enhancement region was formed when the dent moved to the Hertzian contact region. The influence of local film enhancement region on the characteristics of textures was significant i.e. the bigger the area, the lower the friction coefficient.