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Thermoelastohydrodynamics of grease-lubricated concentrated point contacts
journal contribution
posted on 2010-04-28, 13:42 authored by B.K. Karthikeyan, M. Teodorescu, Homer Rahnejat, Steve RothbergIsothermal and thermoelastohydrodynamic lubrication (TEHL) analyses of grease
lubricated bearings are presented. A grease plug flow is formed in the conjunction that, with no
shear at the boundaries with the solid surfaces, adheres to them in the region of high pressures
under isothermal conditions. The elastohydrodynamic lubrication grease pressure distribution
conforms fairly closely to that of its base oil alone, with the exception of inlet trail and pressure
spike regions. The dependency of film thickness on speed (rolling viscosity) and load parameters
for the base oil agrees with previously reported findings of the research community. For grease
there are subtle differences with the base oil film thickness load and speed dependencies. However,
it is clear that extrapolated oil film thickness formulae for oils can be used reasonably for the
prediction of grease films, at least as a first approximation. The results presented agree well with
optical interferometric measurements reported in the literature for grease-lubricated contacts at
low temperatures and low surface velocities. TEHL analysis shows breakdown of the plug flow
and significant reduction in film thickness, which can lead to changes in the regime of lubrication
to mixed or boundary conditions.
History
School
- Mechanical, Electrical and Manufacturing Engineering
Citation
KARTHIKEYAN, B.K.....et al., 2010. Thermoelastohydrodynamics of grease-lubricated concentrated point contacts. Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part C: Journal of Mechanical Engineering Science, 224(3), pp. 683-695Publisher
Professional Engineering Publishing / © IMechEVersion
- VoR (Version of Record)
Publication date
2010Notes
This article was published in the journal, Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part C: Journal of Mechanical Engineering Science [© IMechE]. It is also available at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1243/09544062JMES1748ISSN
0954-4062;2041-2983Language
- en