In Situ Observation of Microwedge Effect on Liquid Lubrication

Abstract

The influence of the minute elastic deformation of tool surface, named the “microwedge,” on the asperity crushing in liquid lubrication is investigated experimentally. The microwedge plays a role so dominant that although increasing the average velocity of the lubricant can alleviate the asperity deformation; such efforts will be overwhelmed by the microwedge effect if the relative sliding velocity between tool and workpiece is also enhanced concurrently. For all roughness patterns, the asperities show multidirectional expansions of the contact region; an important feature of the microwedge effect. The microwedge effect also creates distributions of surface separation and hydrodynamic pressure neither expected nor explainable by the other models.