Squeeze and Entraining Motion in Nonconformal Line Contacts. Part II—Elastohydrodynamic Lubrication

Abstract

A fast numerical approach to the solution of elastohydrodynamic lubrication (EHL) of line contacts in combined entraining and normal squeeze motion is developed. The initial conditions for the pressure profile, the central normal squeeze velocity, and the location of the outlet boundary at any specified dimensionless load and dimensionless entraining velocity were obtained from the hydrodynamic lubrication study in Lee and Hamrock (1988). The pressure and film thickness were obtained by solving the transient Reynolds, elasticity, rheology, and time-dependent central squeeze velocity equations. The squeeze effect on this transient EHL problem has been proved in that the maximum peak pressure was always higher than the maximum pressure calculated at the steady-state condition. The needle-shaped pressure profile during the transient process produced a dimpled shape near the center of the contacts. In general, the maximum peak pressure increased with increasing dimensionless load, decreasing dimensionless entraining velocity, and increasing dimensionless materials parameter. The dynamic performance parameters were plotted and are a function not only of the dimensionless velocity parameter (as described in Lee and Hamrock, (1988)), but also of the dimensionless load, the dimensionless entraining velocity, and the dimensionless materials parameter. The major factor causing the pressure gradient to be infinity during the transient process was the viscosity. A non-Newtonian fluid is suggested to execute the problem for high load and low entraining velocity.