A Refined Solution to the Thermal-Elastohydrodynamic Lubrication of Rolling and Sliding Cylinders

In this paper, a recent solution on the thermal-elastohydrodynamic lubrication of rolling and sliding cylinders is extended to consider a more rigorous analysis of temperature by using a two-dimensional finite difference method. The effect of the local pressure-temperature dependent viscosity, the compressibility effect of the lubricant and the heat from compression of the lubricant are considered in the solution of the Reynolds and the energy equations. Two series of results were obtained. The first is a heavily loaded series intended to correlate with Crook's experimental results, and the second is a moderately loaded series intended to correlate with experimental data (15). These results show that temperature has a moderate influence upon the shape of the pressure and film profile, but very little effect upon the magnitude of the film thickness in the contact zone. The frictional force, however, is strongly influenced by the temperature rise in the film. Crook's experimental film thickness data and those predicted by this report show good agreement; however, only partial agreement is shown to exist between the theoretical and experimental friction data.