The Behavior of Suspended Solid Particles in Rolling and Sliding Elastohydrodynamic Contacts

Abstract

Tiny, dispersed, solid particles are often present in oils, either having been added deliberately as solid lubricants or having been formed during wear. It has been shown that such solids may be beneficial or deleterious, depending upon the nature of the particles and the operating conditions employed. This paper describes a study of the behavior of range of solid particle suspensions in elastohydrodynamic (EHD) lubrication. The main aim of the work was to gain some insights into the reasons for the varying effects on performance of solid suspended particles in the EHD and mixed EHD-boundary regimes.