Simulating follower wear in a cam—follower contact

Abstract

Mild wear in a rolling-sliding contact may gradually worsen the contact conditions. The probability for surface fatigue will then increase due to changes in the surface topography. This phenomenon has been observed for cam-follower contacts in automotive engines. A simulation model of the wear of a follower based on the principal of single point observation has been developed. The wear is simulated using a modified version of Archard's wear equation. The simulation is carried out in steps, recalculating the pressures as the surface topography gradually changes. The results show good agreement with corresponding worn surfaces. It can be concluded that the simulation method presented here, using a modified Archard's wear equation, can be used to simulate the mild wear in a rolling-sliding contact. This work highlights the importance of including follower rotation in the wear simulation and the use of the single point observation method in the derivation of a wear simulation model.