Elastohydrodynamic Lubrication by Powder Slurries

Abstract

Thermoelastohydrodynamic analysis of a powder slurry containing a mixture of MoS2 particles and a carrier fluid is presented for a line-contact configuration. The constitutive equation of the slurry is a non-Newtonian formulation based on experimental data. The model includes provisions for elastic/plastic deformation of particles in the slurry. Through this deformation, particles are shown to contribute to the load-carrying capacity. The viscosity of the carrier fluid is shown to increase considerably as a result of adding a large amount of particles, thus appreciably affecting the EHL behavior of powder slurries. Performance results are presented for the pressure profile, film thickness, temperature distribution, and traction coefficient for a number of sliding/rolling ratios. The existence of particles in slurry is shown to give rise to a higher temperature field and tends to increase the traction coefficient compared to typical shear thinning fluids.