Non-Newtonian TEHL analysis for point contacts considering fluid inertia force

• 1、The State Key Laboratory of Mechanical Transmission, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400044, China
• 2、Aerospace System Engineering Shanghai, Shanghai 201109, China
• 3、 Shanghai Key Laboratory of Spacecraft Mechanism, Shanghai 201109, China

Abstract：In the present study, a non-Newtonian thermal elastohydrodynamic lubrication (TEHL) model for point contacts is established, into which the fluid inertia effect is considered. In doing so, the film pressure of the lubricant is computed based on the Reynolds equation. The temperature fields of the lubricant and the contact solids are solved with the chase-after method. Meanwhile, the composite elastic deformation is calculated with the discrete convolution and fast Fourier transform (DC-FFT) method. Effects of applied load, entrainment velocity, and slide-roll ratio on the TEHL performances are analyzed. After that, a central film thickness experiment is conducted to validate the rationality of considering the inertial force in the model. Obtained numerical results reveal that with the inertial force considered, the inlet film pressure increases slightly, the film thickness rises up, the maximum mid-layer film temperature slightly increases and the temperature rise zone distinctly expands, and the friction coefficient decreases. The experimental results indicates that it is reasonable and necessary to incorporate the inertial force into the point-contact TEHL analysis.

Keywords： TEHL fluid inertia force point contacts DC-FFT