In several experimental investigations of grease-lubricated elastohydrodynamic (EHD) contacts indications of soap-thickener formations that enter the contact area have been reported, for example by Kageyama et al. (1), Cann and co-workers (2-4) and Åström and co-workers (5, 6). While passing through a contact such soap-thickener lumps significantly disturb the film thickness by locally increasing the surface deformation. These film-thickness fluctuations must be accompanied by pressure fluctuations, knowledge of which is essential to increase insight in the phenomena determining service life and emitted noise of grease-lubricated contacts. In this paper the authors present a combined experimental/numerical approach to generate insight into such pressure fluctuations. From a fringe pattern obtained with optical interferometry (ball-on-disc apparatus) a film-thickness map is created employing image analysis. This map serves as input to a numerical algorithm for the calculation of the pressure from force balance and elastic deformation theory. Consequently, no assumptions about the rheological behaviour of grease can be made.
The method was first tested out on an oil-lubricated contact. This test gave essential insight into the accuracy of the method proposed here and in the magnitude of surface texture induced pressure fluctuations. Subsequently the approach was successfully used to estimate the pressure variations resulting from soap-thickener formations in a grease-lubricated contact (between the same ball and disc).
