Numerical investigation on single dent in EHL point contacts
Industrial Lubrication and Tribology
ISSN: 0036-8792
Article publication date: 8 February 2021
Issue publication date: 14 May 2021
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to investigate the effects of single dent on the film thickness and pressure in elastohydrodynamically lubricated (EHL) point contacts by numerical analysis.
Design/methodology/approach
The governing equations of single dent were established and then the variations of the film thickness and pressure induced by the applied load, the entrainment velocity and the ball radius were investigated. Meanwhile, the film thickness and pressure under smooth and dented surfaces were compared with each other.
Findings
The dent enhances both the maximum pressure and the second pressure peak. The minimum film thickness arises before the dent under certain conditions. In the meantime, the pressure decreases at the inside of the dent and the film thickness is just the reverse. The entrainment velocity remarkably affects the overall film thickness, whereas the rest of the input parameters mainly decides the details of the film curve. All input parameters remarkably affect the overall pressure, especially the maximum pressure.
Originality/value
This work is helpful to understanding the effect of the single dent on the lubricating properties of EHL point contacts.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
This research was supported by Zhejiang Provincial Natural Science Foundation of China under Grant No.LY17E050007 and Natural Science Foundation of Ningbo City (No.2018A610149).
Citation
Qin, Q., Wang, X.-F., Hu, R. and Cheng, X. (2021), "Numerical investigation on single dent in EHL point contacts", Industrial Lubrication and Tribology, Vol. 73 No. 3, pp. 485-492. https://doi.org/10.1108/ILT-06-2020-0215
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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