Thermal Elastohydrodynamic Lubrication of Ceramic Materials

The effect of thermal conductivity on point elastohydrodynamic lubrication (EHL) contacts was discussed with representative engineering ceramics and steel by a non-Newtonian thermal EHL analysis. Through this investigation, fundamentals of EHL characteristics of contact surfaces composed of different thermal conductivities were generally revealed and a combination of optimum ceramic materials has been proposed. Furthermore, when the contacting materials are the same, it has been pointed out that the equivalent elastic modulus should be rather small and the thermal conductivity of the contact material should be high to obtain a thick overall film thickness and low film pressure.