The Effect of Starvation on a Thermal Mixed EHL Line Contact

Abstract

To investigate the effect of the inlet starvation severity on the flash temperature, which dictates the scuffing failure, a thermal mixed elastohydrodynamic lubrication model is developed for line contacts operating under the starved lubrication condition. The scuffing failure of high speed gearing applications is commonly associated with the very high sliding condition occurring in the vicinity of either the root or the tip, where the shear thinning effect that decreases the lubrication film thickness and increases the contact pressure is significant. Utilizing a generalized Newtonian Reynolds equation, the lubricant viscosity dependence on the shear rate, as well as on the pressure and temperature, is incorporated for the proper and accurate modeling of the tribological behavior under the high sliding condition. A film fraction parameter is employed in the Reynolds equation to include the starvation and cavitation description, eliminating the need for the measured or assumed meniscus location in the inlet zone. Considering different operating and surface roughness conditions, a parametric study is performed to show an asymptotic relationship between the flash temperature and the inlet starvation severity.