Lubricant Selection for Minimum Traction in Elastohydrodynamic Lubrication Line Contacts During Accelerated Motion—A Numerical Approach

Abstract

Transient thermal elastohydrodynamic lubrication (EHL) line contact simulations are carried out to study the traction behavior during accelerated motion considering realistic shear-thinning behavior. Using three lubricants with different inlet viscosity and shear-thinning parameters, the application of present analysis for lubricant selection is demonstrated. Owing to squeeze film action, the film evolution is delayed, and EHL traction during acceleration is found to increase much above the designed value. This effect decreases with increasing starting speed. The most shear-thinning test oil considered here yields the lowest traction coefficient with minimum variation in its value desirable for smooth and vibration-free operation.