Temperature Estimations in Elastohydrodynamic Contacts of Tribochemical Processes: A Comparative Study Using Modeling by Mechanical/Wear Process Mechanisms and Chemical Kinetic Modeling

Abstract

Abstract This article deals with the subject of thermal Elastohydrodynamic Lubrication (EHL) and how temperatures can be estimated in elastohydrodynamic contacts. An attempt has been made to explain why it is essential to study temperature effects in EHL, and the process of thermal EHL modeling has been elucidated by solving a simple thermal EHL model. The temperatures obtained from this simple model seem to agree well with published literature. A comprehensive literature review of the numerous studies in thermal EHL modeling with particular emphasis on recent developments in this field has been presented. The second part of this comprehensive study includes a comparison between temperatures in the EHL contact as obtained by mechanical models and a chemical model, which will be discussed. The contact temperature required to consume the lubricant by oxidation during a microsample wear test is determined by a chemical kinetic model. Finally, the discrepancy between the temperatures obtained by both the chemical kinetic model and the mechanical model is discussed, presenting various plausible explanations to account for the temperature difference.