Effect of fluid rheology on the thermal EHL under ZEV in line contact

• Published in: Tribology international Vol. 87; pp. 40 - 49
• Main Authors: Zhang, Binbin, Wang, Jing, Omasta, Milan, Kaneta, Motohiro
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 01.07.2015
• Subjects: Computational fluid dynamics; Convergence; Dimpling; Fluid flow; Fluids; Line contact; Mathematical models; Ree–Eyring fluid; Rheology; Surface dimple; Thermal EHL; ZEV; Surface dimple; ZEV; Thermal EHL; Ree–Eyring fluid
• ISSN: 0301-679X; 1879-2464
• DOI: 10.1016/j.triboint.2015.01.024

In this study, thermal EHL performances in line contact under zero entrainment velocity (ZEV) are investigated theoretically by employing Newtonian and Ree–Eyring fluid models. From high to modest surface velocity, both rheology models predict large classical surface dimple and the depth of the surface dimple increases with decrease of the surface velocity. However, if the surface velocity is further decreased, a smaller centralized dimple is obtained by using Ree–Eyring model similar to those point contact oil film shape observed in optical interferometric experiments. At lower surface velocity, the Newtonian model shows too poor convergence to predict such film shape. At last, the influence of the applied load on the centralized dimple is also studied. Pressure and film thickness distributions conditionfor Ree–Eyring fluid. [Display omitted] •Under high velocity, both Newtonian and Ree–Eyring models give large classical dimples.•If further reduce the surface velocity, a main pressure peak accompanied by two small ears occurs.•Convergent solution fails to reach with smaller surface velocity for Newtonian fluid model.•The Ree–Eyring fluid model predicts two much larger ears and a smaller centralized one.•At small load, the centralized dimple does not happen.