Film Thickness Calculations in Elastohydrodynamically Lubricated Circular Contacts, Using a Multigrid Method

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Abstract
Minimum, central and average film thicknesses have been calculated for the isothermal E.H.L. point contact case, for a variety of load, rolling speed, and material parameters. The equations governing this problem were solved using a Multigrid method. This technique offers the possibility to work with a very fine grid, obtaining detailed and accurate solutions, at the cost of moderate cpu times and storage requirements, on medium size computers. Computations for low loads, requiring a large inlet zone, have been carried out using local grid refinements. The fluid in these calculations is assumed to be compressible and its viscosity-pressure behavior is described by either the Roelands equation, or the Barus equation. The ratio between the calculated minimum film thickness and the central value varied with the parameters governing the problem, but for low loads, a value of 3/4 was obtained. The film thickness behavior at these low loads can be accurately described in terms of the minimum film thickness. For higher loads, however, a description based on a film thickness, averaged over the Hertzian contact, is more appropriate to be compared with the asymptotic solution (Ertel, Grubin).

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