Influence of longitudinal roughness on friction in EHL contacts

The effect of longitudinal roughness on the friction in EHL contacts is investigated by means of numerical simulations. In the theoretical model the Eyring equation is used to describe the rheological behavior of the lubricant. First the relative friction variation caused by a single harmonic roughness component is computed as a function of the amplitude and wavelength for a wide range of operating conditions. From the results a curve fit formula is derived for the relative friction variation as a function of the out-of-contact geometry of the waviness and a newly derived parameter characterizing the response of the lubricant to pressure variations. Subsequently, the case of a superposition of two harmonic components is considered. It is shown that for the effect on friction such a combined pattern can be represented by a single equivalent wave. The amplitude and the wavelength of the equivalent wave can be determined from a nonlinear relation in terms of the amplitudes and wavelengths of the individual harmonic components. Finally the approach is applied to the prediction of the effect of a real roughness profile (many components) on the friction. From a comparison of the results with full numerical simulations it appears that the simplified approach is quite accurate