EHL Film Thickness Limitation Theory Under a Limiting Shear Stress

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It is numerically shown that the elastohydrodynamic lubrication (EHL) film thickness has a limit under an assumed limiting shear stress of the contact-lubricant interface in isothermal pure rolling line contacts. The prediction of the central film thickness limit is made, and well matches experiments. The present theory shows that, in elastohydrodynamic line contacts, the central film thickness is of molecular scale and part of the contact area is in non-continuum film lubrication when the equivalent cylinder curvature radius is less than the critical one. This critical radius depends on the load and the contact-lubricant interfacial limiting shear stress at low pressures.