Study on Changes in the Rheologic Properties of EHL Film Using Fluorescence Measurements

This article describes a fundamental study using the fluorescence measurement method to understand the rheologic properties (such as viscosity and solidification) of elasto-hydrodynamic lubrication (EHL) film. The measurement principle is based upon the excimer emission of a pyrene fluorescence agent, which depends on the viscosity. To investigate the relationship between the excimer emission and viscosity, the measurements were taken under low temperature, with the results showing that the excimer emission decreased with decreasing temperature because of increasing of viscosity. No remarkable peak was observed below the temperature at which the state changed from liquid into a viscoelastic or elastic–plastic solid. The fluorescence was clearly observed in EHL film, and its spectrum revealed that the intensity of excimer emission decreases along the flow direction, with a contact area having the same behavior as that of the elastic–plastic solid at 243 K. These results suggest that the viscosity increased at the inlet of contact because of increasing hydrodynamic pressure under the wedge action and that the state in the contact region changes to solid because of high contact pressure. This study also proposes that this measurement method can be used to understand the viscosity change and solidification in the lubrication film.