Experimental investigation of centrifugal effects on lubricant replenishment in the starved regime at high speeds

Abstract The centrifugal effects on lubricant replenishment have been investigated at high speeds in present work. A ball-on-disc test rig was used to obtain clear images of microscopic oil reservoir and interference intensity up to 30 m/s. The technique of relative optical interference intensity was used to measure the film thickness. The replenishment behavior was judged by both the change in oil reservoir and film thickness. It indicates that the centrifugal effects on replenishment can be divided into 'outer side' and 'inner side' effects. The 'outer side' effects make the outer side oil reservoir spilt directly at high speeds and significantly weaken the replenishment. Conversely, the 'inner side' effects speed up the vertical flow of oil into the track and enhance the replenishment. As a result, the oil replenishment is enhanced at the lower speed but weakened at the higher speed.