Formulation and Analysis of EHL Problems for Soft Materials

This paper presents a qualitative and numerical analysis of the new formulation of a steady problem for lubricated rollers made of elastic materials with low Young’s modulus. The feature that makes this formulation different from the classic one is that the linear velocities of the surfaces take into account tangential deformations of elastic materials. Therefore, in Reynolds equation, the surface linear velocities are represented by functions of the location in the contact region instead of constants. The new formulation predicts the formation of a significant depression (dimple) in the contact surfaces of soft materials as opposed to flat surfaces in the classic EHL theory. The paper also describes the dependence of dimple sizes on problem parameters. [S0742-4787(00)02003-8]