Effects of the thermal conductivity of contact materials on elastohydrodynamic lubrication characteristics

Isothermal elastohydrodynamic lubrication (EHL) theory has brought the improvement in function, performance, and durability of machine elements with concentrated contacts. The main reason is that the theory can evaluate the lubrication characteristics, such as film thickness and pressure distributions, from the shape and size of contacting materials, lubricant viscosity at the entrance to the EHL conjunction, entrainment velocity, equivalent elastic modulus, and applied load. However, in order to estimate the film thickness and pressure distributions more accurately and to make clear the traction behaviour based on lubricant rheology, it is necessary to establish thermal EHL theory, which incorporates heat generation in the fluid film and heat transfer in the machine system on the foundation of isothermal EHL theory. The thermal conductivity of contact materials controls temperature in the fluid film and consequently the lubricant viscosity. Therefore, the EHL characteristics are affected remarkably by the thermal conductivity of contact materials. In this article, the effects of the thermal conductivity of contacting materials on the film thickness, pressure, and traction coefficient are described.