Abstract
The behaviour of point contact elastohydrodynamic lubrication (EHL) films under a two-stage impact load is investigated for two cases, in which the initial load is applied or the initial impact gap is given. The film thickness and its profile are observed using the optical interferometry technique. It is found that the film thickness profile obtained by the two-stage impact load is approximately estimated by superposing the film thickness profiles produced independently by the corresponding two impact loads. It is also proved that the impact load under rolling and/or sliding conditions brings about a crescent-shaped oil entrapment only at the inlet periphery of the EHL conjunction, and the lubricant passes through the conjunction at approximately the entrainment velocity. Therefore, the film in the EHL conjunction is not directly influenced by the impact load.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.