TRIBOLOGY OF VISCOELASTIC MACHINE ELEMENTS

There are many engineering applications where elastomeric layers or coatings provide an ideal solution to the problem of interfacial friction between sliding surfaces, particularly in the presence of a lubricant. These layers can be regarded as viscoelastic building blocks in the design, construction and performance assessment of machines. This paper outlines the nature and function of both elastomeric and fluidic machine elements and illustrates their common viscoelastic behaviour in dynamic machine systems. Often, these systems combine either discretely or in matrix form depending on the application in mind.