Transient plasto-elastohydrodynamic lubrication concerning surface features with application to split roller bearings

The use of roller bearings as crankshaft main bearings has shown potential in reducing the fuel consumption of internal combustion engines. An effective way to mount the roller bearing onto the crankshaft is to split the outer ring. However, this may lead to a severe out-of-roundness in the split region when the bearing is mounted, further implying increased noise, vibrations and contact stresses. In this work, a novel approach to study the plasto-elastohydrodynamic contact using commercial finite element software is developed. The modelling approach is based on the contact moving in space, allowing for the stress history based on the lubricant pressure to be studied in a straight-forward manner. The model is first utilised to study the influence of asperities on the lubricating conditions, indicating that stresses may exceed the yield strength of the material due to the transient effects taking place when the surface feature is over-rolled. Thereafter, the model is used to analyse the step in a mounted crankshaft roller bearing with the purpose of specifying a critical step height, which implies zero plasticity and thereby a reduced risk of accumulated damage in the vicinity of the step.