Effect of surface roughness parameters on mixed lubrication characteristics

In this paper, a computer program was developed to generate non-Gaussian surfaces with specified standard deviation, autocorrelation function, skewness and kurtosis, based on digital FIR technique. A thermal model of mixed lubrication in point contacts is proposed, and used to study the roughness effect. The area ratio, load ratio, maximum pressure, maximum surface temperature and average film thickness as a function of skewness and kurtosis are studied at different value of rms. Numerical examples show that skewness and kurtosis have a great effect on the contact parameters of mixed lubrication.     

A computer model of mixed lubrication in point contacts

A numerical model of mixed lubrication is presented in this paper. The idea introduced here is that asperity contact may be viewed as a result of a continuous decrease in film thickness, so that the transition between contact and non-contact is continuous and the same mathematical model should work for both regions. The pressure over the thin films is assumed to obey the Reynolds equation, and the solution of the equation, under the condition of h→0, is expected to be the same as that predicted by the theory of elasticity. To achieve convergent and stable solutions, the left-hand side terms of the Reynolds equation are switched off when the local film thickness approaches zero, leading to a reduced Reynolds equation. Pressure distributions over the entire computation domain are thus obtained through solving a unified equation system without identifying hydrodynamic or asperity contact regions. Computations were conducted for several example cases and results show that convergent solutions are achievable on different types of roughness, over a wide range of λ ratios (0.01 to infinity), and for different slide-to-roll ratios (0.0–2.0).     

The influence of transverse roughness in thin film, mixed elastohydrodynamic lubrication

The Spacer Layer Imaging (SLIM) method has been used to investigate the influence of transverse roughness on the thickness and shape of elastohydrodynamic (EHD) films. The effects of entrainment speed and lubricant viscosity on film distribution are shown for three distinct asperity heights over a wide range of lambda ratio (ratio of lubricant film thickness, separating two contacting surfaces, to their combined RMS roughnesses). Subsequently, the behaviour of film distribution for a range of mixed rolling–sliding conditions is also studied for both thin and thick film conditions. This study provides an estimate of how and when transverse asperities decompress and an indication of conditions under which these asperities cease to affect lubricant film formation.     

Global and local analysis of gear scuffing tests using a mixed film lubrication model

Gear tests were performed in a FZG test rig in order to evaluate the influence of the operating conditions (torque, speed and oil bath temperature), gear geometry and base oil viscosity on gear scuffing.A mixed film lubrication model was used to evaluate the normal pressures and shear stresses in several points along the gear meshing line, for each load stage and for all the gear scuffing tests performed.The gear scuffing results were analyzed using two different approaches: one considering global gear parameters defined at the meshing line scale and another based on local parameters at the roughness asperity scale, determined using the mixed film lubrication model.The analysis at the roughness asperity level was used to complete the scuffing study performed with global gear contact parameters, explaining the occurrence of scuffing during ‘running-in’, justifying the zones in teeth flanks where the first scuffing marks appear and supplying indicators for low scuffing resistance at high oil bath temperatures.     

Reduced description of mixed lubrication

Modelling friction and wear between rough and lubricated surfaces is an important problem of modern technologies. The complexity of the problem is in the necessity of simultaneously solving for elastic deformations of contacting bodies and fluid flow between the bodies. We show that the problem can be considerably reduced in the case when the lubrication layer is so thin that the main contribution to the contact interaction comes from a small part of microcontacts with a distance much smaller than the average distance between the bodies. In this case, it is possible to model the dynamics of lubrication by non-conservative forces between surface elements depending on both the distance and the relative velocity. The possibility of further reduction in the problem by using a one-dimensional system is discussed.     

Modelling the effect of surface roughness on lubrication in all regimes

A model of lubrication in all regimes is presented. Two length scales are defined, cell and global length scale levels. Surface roughness effects are modelled on the local cell level, while the actual lubrication problem is solved on the global level. Surface roughness influences contact mechanics, when surfaces are boundary lubricated, as well as hydrodynamic film formation. The all-regimes lubrication model is applied to thrust bearings and wet clutches. The cell level model can be further improved to also include wear and better friction estimation.     

Deterministic solutions and thermal analysis for mixed lubrication in point contacts

A deterministic numerical model has been developed for simulation of mixed lubrication in point contacts. The nominal contact area between rough surfaces can be divided into two parts: the regions for hydrodynamic lubrication and asperity contacts (boundary lubrication). In the area where the film thickness approaches zero the Reynolds equation can be modified into a reduced form and the normal pressure in the region of asperity contacts can be thus determined. As a result, a deterministic numerical solution for the mixed lubrication can be obtained through a unite system of equations and the same numerical scheme. In thermal analysis, the solution for a moving point heat source has been integrated numerically to get surface temperature, provided that shear stresses in both regions of hydrodynamic lubrication and asperity contacts have been predetermined. A rheology model based on the limit shear stress of lubricant is proposed while calculating the shear stress, which gives a smooth transition of friction forces between the hydrodynamic and contact regions. The computations prove the model to be a powerful tool to provide deterministic solutions for mixed lubrication over a wide range of film thickness, from full-film to the lubrication with very low lambda ratio, even down to the region where the asperity contact dominates.     

Study of surface roughness effects in elastohydrodynamic lubrication of rolling line contacts using a deterministic model

A sinusoidal surface roughness model is adopted for the analysis of the effects of roughness amplitude and wavelength on pressure profile, film shape, minimum film thickness and coefficient of friction in a steady state EHL line contact. The influence coefficients used for the evaluation of surface displacements are calculated by utilizing a numerical method based on Fast Fourier Transform. Significant reduction is observed in the minimum film thickness due to surface roughness. Such reduction is quantified by roughness correction factor, C_R, and a relationship between C_R and non-dimensional surface roughness amplitude A is derived as: C_R=1−0.7823A^0.8213. This equation may prove to be of interest from designer's viewpoint. The friction coefficient is found to increase appreciably with increasing amplitude and decreasing wavelength of surface roughness.     

The investigation of contact ratio in mixed lubrication

In order to describe the mixed lubrication in nano-scale which is constituted from dry friction, boundary lubrication, and thin film lubrication, a contact ratio between surfaces of a glass disk and a steel ball in a pure rolling process has been measured by the technique of Relative Optical Interference Intensity (ROII) with a resolution of 0.5 nm in the vertical direction and 1 μm in the horizontal direction. The relationships between the contact ratio and its influence factors have been investigated. Experimental results indicate that the contact ratio in the static state is related to the combined surface roughness, maximum Hertz pressure, and the combined elastic module of tribo-pair in an exponential function. The decrease of rolling speed or lubricant viscosity, and the increase of the pressure will enhance the dynamic contact ratio which is the contact ratio measured in the rolling process. The addition of polar additives into basic oil will reduce the contact ratio. The contact ratio between rough surfaces is larger than that between smooth surfaces in the higher speed region. However, the former becomes smaller than the later after speed decreases below a critical value. A formula for calculating the dynamic contact ratio is given in the end of the paper.     

Effect of surface texturing on mixed lubricated non-conformal contacts

The behaviour of surface texturing based on shallow micro-dents was observed within mixed lubricated non-conformal contacts and compared with results obtained under thin film elastohydrodynamic conditions. Thin film colorimetric interferometry was used to observe the changes in lubrication film thickness. It was found that lubricant emitted by micro-dents could effectively lift off the real roughness features that provided an increase in average but also the local minimum film thicknesses. On the contrary to smooth contact conditions no film thickness reduction is obvious either downstream or upstream the micro-dent. The possible beneficial effect of surface texturing on mixed lubricated contact was checked through the qualitative wear test. It confirmed that an array of shallow micro-dents reduced asperity interactions of rubbing surfaces. Moreover, the effect of micro-dents on rolling contact fatigue was also considered in this study. It has been shown that individual dents would have to be much deeper compared to those used in surface texturing experiments to cause reduction in contact fatigue life. It can be suggested from the obtained results that properly designed surface texturing could help to increase the separation of rubbing surfaces under mixed lubrication conditions.     

Specific energy and surface roughness of minimum quantity lubrication grinding Ni-based alloy with mixed vegetable oil-based nanofluids

Vegetable oil is a low toxic, excellent biodegradable and renewable energy source used as an ideal lubricating base oil in machining. Castor oil exhibits good lubrication performance but poor mobility, which limits its application especially in precision grinding. The main objective of the work presented to obtain optimal mixed vegetable based-oil and optimal nanoparticles adding concentration in grinding Ni-based alloy with minimum quantity lubrication. An experimental investigation is carried out first to study the different vegetable oils with excellent mobility mixed with castor oil. The lubrication property of the oil was evaluated in terms of grinding force, force ratio, specific grinding energy, and surface roughness. Based on the test conditions, it is found that soybean/castor mixed oil obtained the optimal results (μ= 0.379, U = 83.27 J/mm³ and Ra = 0.325 μm) and lubricating effect compared with castor oil and other mixed base oils. To further explore the lubricating capability of soybean/castor mixed oil, MoS₂ nanoparticles which have excellent lubricating property were added into the soybean/castor mixed oil to prepare different concentrations nanofluids. From the present study, it can be concluded that 8% mass fraction of the oil mixture should be added to obtain the optimal machining results, with the lowest force ratio (0.329), specific energy (58.60 J/mm³), and average grinding temperature (182.6 °C). Meanwhile, better surface microtopography of ground parts and grinding debris morphologies were also observed for the machining conditions.     

Film-forming capability in rough surface EHL investigated using contact resistance

Highly loaded machine elements such as gears and cams have a non-smooth surface topography that is created during manufacturing. It is well known that the film-building properties of such surfaces may be different from those that are perfectly smooth. The capability to form a separating film may also be altered in time due to run-in phenomena. In this study, a smooth steel ball was loaded against rough steel discs and run under pure rolling as well as sliding conditions. Several different steel surfaces were tested under nominal EHL conditions, where the contact was monitored by means of its electrical resistance and capacitance. Each surface was first run in for 15 min, followed by a sweep-in speed determining the lift-off curve. Electrical contact measurements were continuously conducted during run in as well as lift-off. Fully formulated gear oil and its base fluid were used as test lubricants. Results show that run in of a surface seems to be a competition between conformation of surface topography and tribofilm formation. At the tested conditions, the formation of a tribofilm is dependent on the initial surface topography and is created rapidly causing less metal–metal contact. This film also seems to effectively prohibit changes in surface topography causing less structural run in than expected.     

Influence of different surface modification technologies on friction of conformal tribopair in mixed and boundary lubrication regimes

Moving machine assemblies are generally designed to operate in full film lubrication regime to ensure high efficiency and durability of components. However, it is not always possible to ensure this owing to changes in operating conditions such as load, speed, and temperature. The overall frictional losses in machines are dependent on the operating lubrication regimes (boundary, mixed or full-film). The present work is thus aimed at investigating the role of different surface modification technologies on friction of a sliding bearing/roller tribopair both in boundary and mixed lubrication regimes. A special test rig comprising of two bearings was built for the experimental studies. Tribological tests were conducted in a wide speed range to enable studies in boundary and mixed lubrication regimes. The influence of application of different surface modification technologies on both the sliding bearing and the roller surfaces on friction has been studied. The rollers used in these studies were provided with five different coatings (hard DLCs and a soft self-lubricating coating). Additionally, two uncoated rollers having different surface roughness were also studied. Uncoated bearings were used in all tribopairs except two. These two bearings were coated with DLC and phosphate coatings respectively and uncoated rollers were the mating counterparts. Friction measurements were made on the new as well as the previously run-in surfaces. It was found that the rollers with self-lubricating coating resulted in lowest boundary friction closely followed by the rollers with the hardest DLC coatings. The DLC coating applied on to the bearing showed lower boundary friction after running-in. Mixed friction has been found to be mainly dependent on the surface topography characteristics of both the original and the run-in surfaces of bearings and rollers. The harder DLC coatings and the phosphated bearing showed the lowest mixed friction due to an efficient running-in of the bearing surface.     

Experimental study of real roughness attenuation in concentrated contacts

The understanding of the processes involved in the in-contact deformation of surface roughness represents one of key factors in increasing lubrication capabilities of highly loaded machine components. Two main approaches have been developed in an effort to understand the changes of initial surface topography within highly loaded contacts to provide detailed information about lubrication film thickness and pressure distribution in the vicinity of roughness features. The first approach considers the real surface topography while the other uses the simplified topography features. Numerical solutions based on measured topography data can provide the film thickness and pressure distribution around asperities of realistic scale; nevertheless, obtained results are typically limited to the specific topography configuration measured from a very small area of rubbing surface. That is why some researchers have considered harmonic features of various wavelength and amplitudes to explain the behaviour of real roughness.This study is focused on the experimental validation of an approach based on Fourier decomposition of the surface roughness into harmonic components. Two optical measurement techniques—phase shifting interferometry and thin film colorimetric interferometry are combined to provide the undeformed surface topography and film thickness data within the elastohydrodynamic contact formed between a smooth disk and a ball having a real rough surface. The results obtained under pure rolling conditions not only confirmed the general principle that roughness deformation is component dependent and that long wavelengths deform more than short wavelengths, also the observed deformation for different components agreed well with the data predicted by the theory.     

The influence of thin boundary films on real surface roughness in thin film, mixed EHD contact

The behaviour of thin viscous boundary films in the rough surface rolling–sliding point contact operated under thin film lubrication conditions have been observed by thin film colorimetric interferometry. Changes in film thickness distribution within the lubricated contact between steel ball and glass disc were studies with both mineral base oil and mineral oil formulated with non-functionalized polyalkylmethacrylate (PAMA). Recent studies by other researchers showed that this polymer-containing viscosity index improver exhibits some friction-reducing capabilities even though it forms only very thin boundary films on rubbing surfaces. Results obtained in the current study proved that thin viscous boundary films formed on rubbing surfaces can reduce asperities interactions of rubbing surfaces under very thin film conditions. Even though these boundary films do not separate rubbing surfaces completely, they still can provide some protection of contacting bodies against excessive friction and wear.     

Experimental study of real roughness attenuation in rolling/sliding concentrated contacts

A surface roughness attenuation approach based on the Fourier decomposition of surface roughness into harmonic components may allow predictions of the behavior of real rough surfaces within concentrated lubricated contacts. Recent experiments performed under pure rolling conditions have shown an amplitude reduction of different components that agreed well with the data predicted by the theory. This study represents the next step in the experimental verification of the surface roughness attenuation approach under rolling-sliding conditions. Obviously, the behavior of roughness in the rolling-sliding elastohydrodynamic (EHD) contacts is more complex than for pure rolling. It has been theoretically suggested by other researchers that the modification of the original roughness alone cannot explain all of the major effects that significantly affect film thickness, and a model was proposed in which, along with the roughness attenuation, a complementary wave was generated in the inlet region and moved at the entrainment speed. This paper is focused on the possibility of extracting complementary waves from experiments with real rough surfaces conducted under rolling-sliding conditions and of determining whether the amplitudes of the complementary wave can be determined. This represents the first attempt to study both effects of rough surface behavior separately. The complementary wave was extracted from the measured data by subtracting the attenuated original roughness from the measured film thickness. Although the experimental results were quite scattered, a trend similar to that of the theoretical curves was observed. Based on the results, it can be suggested that the significance of the complementary wave is comparable to the attenuation principle.     

Effect of surface texturing on rolling contact fatigue within mixed lubricated non-conformal rolling/sliding contacts

The rolling contact fatigue (RCF) life of highly loaded machine components is significantly influenced by the surface roughness features so that there is a continuous effort to design the topography of rubbing surfaces to enhance lubrication efficiency and prolong the operation of machine components. It can be suggested from the recent experimental results that lubricant emitted from shallow micro-dents could effectively lift off the real roughness features and reduce the asperities interactions within rolling/sliding mixed lubricated contacts. Thereby the additional supply of lubricant from surface features could help to reduce the risk of surface damage through the reduction of the interaction of rubbing surfaces during start-up or starvation. However, the introduction of such roughness features into the rubbing surfaces of highly loaded non-conformal contacts should consider not only the effects on lubrication film thickness but also on RCF.That is why this study is focused on the effects of surface texturing on RCF within non-conformal rolling/sliding contacts operated under mixed lubrication conditions. The principal task has been whether possible beneficial effect on film thickness is not accompanied by the reduction in RCF life. Textures with various sizes of micro-dents and their arrangement within the contacts have been considered. It has been found that results obtained with textured surfaces have exhibited no obvious reduction in RCF. Conversely, some increase in RCF using textured surfaces was observed that could be attributed to the positive contribution of micro-dents working as lubricant micro-reservoirs that reduce asperities interactions. Nevertheless, further experiments are necessary to confirm this possible beneficial contribution of surface texturing on RCF.     

A transient 2D-finite-element approach for the simulation of mixed lubrication effects of reciprocating hydraulic rod seals

This paper presents a method for the computation of soft elasto-hydrodynamic lubrication (EHL) based on the strong coupling of a non-linear finite-element model with the transient Reynolds equation for thin fluid films. This approach allows the usage of arbitrary non-linear elastic or inelastic material models for the finite deformations. The transient Reynolds equation is simultaneously solved within a finite-element computation. In order to account for the effect of surface roughness in the sealing contact, flow factors are incorporated into the transient Reynolds equation. The method is currently restricted to planar or axisymmetric geometries.     

Limitations on use of ZDDP as an antiwear additive in boundary lubrication

Wear tests on rubbing elements under various contact pressures, oil temperatures and surface roughness were performed to elucidate the limitation conditions on antiwear performance of a typical zinc dialkyl dithiophosphate (ZDDP) added to a paraffin base oil. The analysis results indicate that the antiwear performance of ZDDP depends on the rates of recovery and growth of effective surface films. If these rates exceed that of scraping the films off the rubbing surfaces, antiwear performance is evident. However, the rates of recovery and growth of surface films are influenced by some essential factors, including the oil temperature, contact pressure and the surface roughness and hardness of rubbing elements. Under some suitable conditions, ZDDPs show favorable antiwear performance, but under some severe conditions, such as high pressure (over 90 MPa), high temperature (over 200 °C) with an insufficient concentration of ZDDP and the rubbing of a rough and harder surface on a softer surface, the antiwear performance of ZDDPs is negligible.