Simulation of Plasto-Elastohydrodynamic Lubrication in Line Contacts of Infinite and Finite Length

Abstract

Line contact is common in many machine components, such as various gears, roller and needle bearings, and cams and followers. Traditionally, line contact is modeled as a two-dimensional (2D) problem when the surfaces are assumed to be smooth or treated stochastically. In reality, however, surface roughness is usually three-dimensional (3D) in nature, so that a 3D model is needed when analyzing contact and lubrication deterministically. Moreover, contact length is often finite, and realistic geometry may possibly include a crowning in the axial direction and round corners or chamfers at two ends. In the present study, plasto-elastohydrodynamic lubrication (PEHL) simulations for line contacts of both infinite and finite length have been conducted, taking into account the effects of surface roughness and possible plastic deformation, with a 3D model that is needed when taking into account the realistic contact geometry and the 3D surface topography. With this newly developed PEHL model, numerical cases are analyzed in order to reveal the PEHL characteristics in different types of line contact.