Decrease of elastohydrodynamic minimum film thickness with increase of a slide

The influence of a slide on the elastohydrodynamic minimum film was investigated by using paraffinic oils, a naphthenic oil and a synthetic oil. Measuring the film thickness at the elliptical contact zone, which was formed by the contact between a crowned roller and a sapphire disk, was carried out by the optical interferometry technique. The experimental results gained with each oil revealed that the minimum film thickness decreases with increase of the slide under the condition of the constant mean velocity, and that thee is a close correlation between the decease ratio of the minimum film thickness and the temperature rise in the Hertzian contact. Furthermore, the experimental results were compared with analytical ones based on the EHL contact model, which takes account of the effect of viscous heating. Close agreement between the analytical and experimental results was obtained.