The Effect of Material Properties on the Lubrication of Elastic Rollers

Abstract

The effect of the significant variables on solutions to the problem of isothermal lubrication of elastic rollers is examined. It is found that for realistic materials, speeds, and loads, the outlet pressure peak predicted by Grubin (4) is always present. The magnitude of this pressure peak may exceed the maximum Hertzian pressure. It varies only slightly with load, but markedly with speed and materials. The influence of these variables on the shape of the outlet pressure curve explains the difference between Petrusevich's results (5) and those presented earlier by the authors. The stress concentrations produced near the surface by the outlet pressure peak would have a significant effect on the fatigue life of rolling elements. It is found that the centre-line film thickness varies hardly at all with load, significantly with material properties and considerably with the product of speed and inlet viscosity. Pressure distributions and film shapes are presented for five cases to illustrate the influence of load, speed, and materials. In addition, maximum principal stress differences are shown for two solutions.