Numerical Study on Effect of Dimples on Tribo-Characteristics in Non-Newtonian Thermal Elastohydrodynamic Lubrication Point Contacts With Different Mechanical and Thermal Properties

Abstract The transient behavior of tribo-characteristics caused by micro-dimples on point contact surfaces with different mechanical and thermal properties was investigated based on non-Newtonian thermal elastohydrodynamic lubrication (EHL) analysis. The dimples were assumed to exist on both contact surfaces and the surface shapes of the contact bodies were evaluated separately. It is pointed out that surface texturing due to the micro-dimples is not necessarily beneficial in EHL contacts under fully flooded conditions since the micro-dimples provide a high pressure and a thin minimum film thickness as compared with the case of contacts with smooth surfaces, although the friction coefficient of surfaces with micro-dimples is always lower than that of the smooth surfaces. In order to obtain relatively good tribo-characteristics, the velocity of the surface with low thermal conductivity should be faster than that with high thermal conductivity, and the wavelengths of micro-dimples in the direction of motion on both surfaces should be different.