Thermal mixed elastohydrodynamic lubrication modeling and analysis of the lubricated non-conformal contacts with non-Gaussian surface roughness and coating

The lubricated non-conformal contact generally works under the mixed-EHL regime. Optimizing the surface topography or selecting the right coating is an effective way to improve its performance. This paper presented an improved mixed-TEHL model for the lubricated non-conformal contacts with the effects of roughness and coating in consideration. The effect of coating was solved analytically by employing the Papkovich-Neuber potentials. It was found that the properties of coatings, especially their elastic modulus, significantly affect the pressure and stress distribution. In comparison to other roughness parameters, standard deviation and kurtosis have a significant impact. As expected, the present model can provide an efficient analysis of the tribological behavior and the stress distribution of the lubricated non-conformal contacts.