4.7 Article

Patterns of interfacial flow around a lubricated rolling point contact region

Journal

PHYSICS OF FLUIDS
Volume 33, Issue 10, Pages -

Publisher

AIP Publishing
DOI: 10.1063/5.0068707

Keywords

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Funding

  1. National Key R&D Program of China [2018YFB2000604]
  2. National Natural Science Foundation of China [51805031]

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This study investigates the interfacial flow around an oil-lubricated ball-on-disk RPCR through experiments and simulations, identifying flow patterns and analyzing forming mechanisms driven by force competition. The results show that the motion of the air-oil interface is driven by competition between inertia, viscosity, pressure gradient, and air-oil surface tension forces, leading to a self-adjusting process for flow pattern formation.
It is of great importance to develop an in-depth understanding of interfacial flow around a lubricated rolling point contact region (RPCR). Consideration of the flow patterns around an RPCR will be important for the lubrication, cooling, and cleaning of machine parts, such as rolling bearings and gearboxes. In this study, an experiment using laser-induced fluorescence and a simulation using computational fluid dynamics of interfacial flow around an oil-lubricated ball-on-disk RPCR are presented. The results show good agreement with each other, and the flow patterns are clearly classified. The forming mechanisms are analyzed in terms of force competition caused by inertia, viscosity, pressure gradient, and air-oil surface tension. Quantitative criteria are proposed to evaluate the behaviors at the air-oil interface and the transition of flow patterns. Analyses have shown that the competition between these forces drives the motion of the air-oil interface, and the formation of flow patterns can be considered a self-adjusting process for the air-oil interface toward the equilibrium positions of the forces. High surface tension is beneficial for maintaining interface stability and can prevent the meniscus from rupturing at an outlet and concaving at an inlet. High capillary numbers may increase the risk for outlet meniscus rupture and the degree of concavity of the inlet meniscus.

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