Transient elastohydrodynamic point contact analysis using a new coupled differential deflection method Part 2: Results

Abstract The paper presents results obtained using a transient analysis technique for point contact elastohydrodynamic lubrication (EHL) problems based on a formulation that effectively couples the elastic and hydrodynamic equations. Results are presented for transverse ground surfaces in an elliptical contact that show severe film thinning at the transverse limits of the contact area. This thinning is caused by transverse (side) leakage of the lubricant from the contact in the remaining deep valley features. Comparison is made between the elliptical contact results on the entrainment centreline and the equivalent line contact analysis. This confirms the importance of edge effects as a likely cause of film collapse and scuffing failure. The surface profiles used in the analysis are taken from test discs used in scuffing experiments and from gears used in micropitting tests. Side leakage is found to be sufficiently severe to cause microasperity contact in the numerical examples presented. This contact mainly occurs close to the edges of the corresponding Hertzian area and correlates in position with the location at which scuffing is found to first occur in the earlier experiments. Comparisons are made with other numerical results for point contact configurations with sinusoidally varying surface features obtained by Zhu (2000) and considerable differences are seen in the calculated extent of asperity contact. The differences are thought to be due to the simplified treatment of the lubrication equation adopted by Zhu.