Modeling Sliding Contact Temperatures, Including Effects of Surface Roughness and Convection

The ability to predict contact surface temperatures in rolling/sliding contacting bodies is important if failure of tribological components is to be avoided. Many works on surface temperature analysis and prediction have been published over the past 75 years or so, but most of the analytical solutions that are readily available do not include such important factors as finite body geometry, surface roughness, or convective cooling. Approaches for addressing these deficiencies are presented in this paper. This paper builds on previous analytical work by the authors and others, and presents models that are based on experimental observations of contact temperatures and factors that affect them. It is shown that the total surface temperature rise above ambient temperature is the sum of nominal temperature rise and flash temperature rise. Models are developed for calculating nominal surface temperature rise for sliding bodies of finite size, including effects of both convection and conduction. Flash temperature models are developed for both single and multiple contacts, as would be found with rough surfaces. Methods are presented that are valid for a variety of geometries and kinematic operating conditions, and techniques are also presented for partitioning the frictional heat between the two contacting surfaces. Examples of the use of the methodology are presented, along with experimental verification of the predictions.