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This research follows closely previous findings in flow characteristics and phenomena that take place in the piston ring and cylinder liner interface during motoring and firing engine operation, and also compares results between different optical engine set-ups. Cavitation visualisation in a simulating lubrication single-ring test rig and oil transport and cavitation visualisation in custom made cylinder assemblies of optical engines are the tools used to quantify the transport process under the piston ring and cylinder liner. Simplification of the interface is an essential technique that enhances the researcher's confidence in results interpretation. Engine complexity and severe oil starvation are impeding the analysis of the experimental results. Visualisation experiments constitute an effective way to test various lubricant types and assess their overall performance characteristics, including their properties and cavitation behaviour. The repeatability of the visualisation method establishes the parametric study effects and offers valuable experimental results. As a further step towards the lubricant composition effect, a link between the lubricant formulation and the operating conditions could be established as the oil performance is assessed with a view to its transport behaviour. Image processing is used to quantify the impact of cavitation on piston ring lubrication in conjunction with varied operating and lubricant parameters. The characteristics of the lubricant and the working environment have an impact on these types of cavities. Viscosity, cavitation, oil film thickness (OFT), lubricant shear-thinning characteristics and friction are all linked. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research follows closely previous findings in flow characteristics and phenomena that take place in the piston ring and cylinder liner interface during motoring and firing engine operation, and also compares results between different optical engine set-ups. Cavitation visualisation in a simulating lubrication single-ring test rig and oil transport and cavitation visualisation in custom made cylinder assemblies of optical engines are the tools used to quantify the transport process under the piston ring and cylinder liner. Simplification of the interface is an essential technique that enhances the researcher’s confidence in results interpretation. Engine complexity and severe oil starvation are impeding the analysis of the experimental results. Visualisation experiments constitute an effective way to test various lubricant types and assess their overall performance characteristics, including their properties and cavitation behaviour. The repeatability of the visualisation method establishes the parametric study effects and offers valuable experimental results. As a further step towards the lubricant composition effect, a link between the lubricant formulation and the operating conditions could be established as the oil performance is assessed with a view to its transport behaviour. Image processing is used to quantify the impact of cavitation on piston ring lubrication in conjunction with varied operating and lubricant parameters. The characteristics of the lubricant and the working environment have an impact on these types of cavities. Viscosity, cavitation, oil film thickness (OFT), lubricant shear-thinning characteristics and friction are all linked.

The temperature field of limited slip clutch (LSC) seriously interferes with torque transmission. In this paper, the attribute of dynamic partition of slip heat flux is considered. A calculation model of temperature field is also established by combining the proposed new method of fluid-solid equivalent convective heat transfer. The simulation and experiment of different relative speed, lubricant flow, and temperature are carried out. Furthermore, the comprehensive evaluation index of average temperature growth ratio and maximum radial temperature difference is proposed. The results show that the deviations of temperature rising rate and average temperature are not more than 0.2 °C/s and 6 °C, respectively. Heat flux partition value of separator plate increases approximately proportionally with relative speed. Changing relative speed from 40 r/min to 80 r/min, average temperature growth rate and maximum radial temperature difference of separator plate increase by 0.35 °C/s and 2.08 °C, respectively. On the contrary, increasing lubricant flow or reducing lubricant temperature weakens actual heat flux input of clutch. From 3 L/min to 10.5 L/min about lubricant flow, the average temperature growth rate and maximum radial temperature difference caused by higher relative speed are reduced by 0.32 and 2.71 °C, respectively. However, when lubricant temperature is adjusted from 65 °C to 30 °C, average temperature growth rate is reduced by 0.51 and the variation of maximum radial temperature difference does not exceed 0.32 °C. The research can accurately simulate actual energy flow at friction pair interface and assist in exploring the influence of condition parameters on temperature field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The factors affecting the lubrication effect of a ball bearing without cage and containing a functional slot are analyzed, including the structural parameters of the functional slot, the speed of the rolling element, and the deformation of the contact surface, in order to establish the initial oil volume equation. Based on the multiple mesh method and Matlab programming, the established model is solved by obtaining the distribution rules of oil film pressure, oil film thickness, and oil film flow rate between the rolling element, the conventional raceway, and the functional slot under different speed conditions, and by determining the optimal functional slot depth. Finally, through an experiment performed to verify the lubrication effect of the lubricating oil in the functional slot, the results show that the lubricating oil in the functional slot can have a lubricating effect, and the initial amount of lubricating oil needed increases with an increase in speed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new engine block with optical access has been designed and manufactured capable of running up to 3000 r/min with the same specification as the unmodified engine. The optical window allowed access to the full length of the liner over a width of 25 mm to investigate the lubricant flow and cavitation at contact point between the rings and cylinder-liner. In addition, it allowed good access into the combustion chamber to allow charged flow, spray and combustion visualisation and measurements using different optical methods. New custom engine management system with build in LabView allowed for the precise full control of the engine. The design of the new optical engine was a great success in producing high quality images of lubricant flow, cavitation formation and development at contact point at different engine speeds ranging from 208 to 3000 r/min and lubricant temperatures (30°C–70°C) using a high-speed camera. The results under motorised operation confirmed that there was no cavitation at contact points during the intake/exhaust strokes due to low in-cylinder presure, while during compression/expansion strokes, with high in-cylinder pressure, considerable cavities were observed, in particular, during the compression stroke. Lubricant temperatures had the effect of promoting cavities both in their intensity and covered ring area up to 50°C as expected. Beyond that, although the cavitation intensity increases further with temperature, its area reduces due to possible collapse of the cavitating bubbles at higher temperature. The change of engine speed from 208 to 800 r/min increased cavitating area considerably by 52% of the ring area and was further increased by 19% at 1000 r/min. After that, the results showed very small increase in cavitation area (1.3% at 2000 r/min) with similar intensity and distribution across the ring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The factors affecting the lubrication effect of a ball bearing without cage and containing a functional slot are analyzed, including the structural parameters of the functional slot, the speed of the rolling element, and the deformation of the contact surface, in order to establish the initial oil volume equation. Based on the multiple mesh method and Matlab programming, the established model is solved by obtaining the distribution rules of oil film pressure, oil film thickness, and oil film flow rate between the rolling element, the conventional raceway, and the functional slot under different speed conditions, and by determining the optimal functional slot depth. Finally, through an experiment performed to verify the lubrication effect of the lubricating oil in the functional slot, the results show that the lubricating oil in the functional slot can have a lubricating effect, and the initial amount of lubricating oil needed increases with an increase in speed.

A method has been developed for calculating the pressure distribution in a cylindrical slide bearing. We present the process of designing a heavy-duty slide bearing as a component of the reduction gearbox of a bypass turbojet engine as the object of our investigation. The process comprises the following stages: specification of the supporting structure; calculation of pressure distribution in the slide bearing for different eccentricities and angles of rotation of the shaft journal; calculation of the effect of shaft journal precession on pressure distribution; calculation of pressure distribution taking into account the channels of oil supply to the bearing. The results obtained in the experimental activities are given. The analysis carried out shows that the calculation helps to predict the location and size of pressure and rarefaction areas, to position the holes for oil supply, which will significantly improve the conditions of lubricant flow in the bearing.

A new numerical implementation of the finite element calculation of the parameters of elasto-hydrodynamic friction in sliding bearings is proposed. Triangular finite elements of the first order are used for two-dimensional modeling of the flow of lubricating fluid in the gap between contacting bodies. Twenty-node finite elements are used in the analysis of the stress-strain state of the conjugation bodies in a three-dimensional formulation. In order to increase the efficiency of computations, a new 20-node finite element is proposed, in which the joint shape functions of the second order are supplemented with disjoint shape functions of the third order. The quasi-joint approximating polynomials of the third order obtained in this way allow us to form sufficiently accurate meshes with a small number of nodes. It is important that the accuracy of the calculation is preserved while modeling thin antifriction layers, when the length of the larger side of the element is 100 or more times the length of its smaller side. An iterative scheme is implemented with alternating solutions to elastic and hydrodynamic problems. It allows us to take into account the inconsistency of the corresponding discretization meshes. The results of solving the hydrodynamic problem in the form of pressures are reduced to nodal forces at the stage of generating the initial data for solving the elastic problem. The displacements calculated when solving the elastic problem are taken into account when adjusting the gaps in the boundary conditions of the hydrodynamic problem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A high-speed camera has been used to produce unique time-resolved images of high quality to describe the dynamics of the lubricant flow and cavitation characteristics in a sliding optical liner over a fixed single piston-ring lubricant assembly for three lubricants with different viscosities to establish their impact on cavitation formation and development. The images were obtained at two cranking speeds (or liner sliding velocity) of 300 rpm (0–0.36 m/s) and 600 rpm (0–0.72 m/s), at a lubricant temperature of 70 °C and a supply lubricant rate of 0.05 L/min. A special MATLAB programme has been developed to analyse the cavitation characteristics quantitatively. The dynamic process of cavities initiation was demonstrated by time-resolved images from fern cavity formation to fissure cavities and then their development to the sheet and strings cavities at a liner sliding velocity of around 0.17 m/s. The results for both up- and down-stroke motions showed that the cavities reach their fully developed state downstream of the contact point when the liner velocity reaches its highest velocity and that they start to collapse around TDC and BDC when the liner comes to rest. Within the measured range, viscosity had a great influence on length of cavities so that a decrease in viscosity (from Lubricant A to C) caused a reduction in length of cavities of up to 35% for Lubricant C. On the other hand, an increase in speed, from 300 rpm to 600 rpm, have increased the number of string cavities and also increased the length of cavities due to thicker oil film thickness with the higher speed. Overall, the agreement between the processed data by MATLAB and visualisation measurements were good, but further thresholds refinement is required to improve the accuracy.

The paper presents the solution of an elastohydrodynamic point contact condition using inlet and outlet lubricant entrainment with partial counter-flow. The inlet and outlet boundaries are determined using potential flow analysis for the pure rolling of contiguous surfaces. This shows that Swift-Stieber boundary conditions best conform to the observed partial counter-flow at the inlet conjunction, satisfying the compatibility condition. For the outlet region, the same is true when Prandtl-Hopkins boundary conditions are employed. Using these boundary conditions, the predictions conform closely to the measured pressure distribution using a deposited pressure-sensitive micro-transducer in a ball-to-flat race contact. Furthermore, the predicted conjunctional shape closely conforms to the often observed characteristic keyhole conjunction through optical interferometry. The combined numerical-experimental analysis with realistic boundary conditions described here has not hitherto been reported in the literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work presents for the first time through-thickness velocity profiles obtained in an EHL contact by photobleached imaging. The velocity profile was inferred by following the evolution of the shape of a photobleached plug formed through the thickness of the fluorescently doped lubricant, oligomer polybutene (PB), in the contact when shear was applied. The proposed methodology was validated by successfully obtaining the expected linear profile with PB experiencing Couette flow. The methodology was then applied to PB in an EHL contact. The variation of the profiles within the contact area was also investigated. The velocity profile of PB in an EHL contact severely deviates from the common linear assumption and exhibits inhomogeneous shear: three regions of varying shear rate have been observed. The phenomenon is shown to be neither due to thermal nor diffusion effects. PB also shows significant slip at the glass-liquid interface. The amount of slip varies with position in the contact. Possible causes, such as pressure-induced viscosity enhancement, as well as the significance of the findings and the benefits of the technique are discussed. The linear velocity profile in an EHL contact is usually assumed for both the film thickness and friction predictions. The profile has, however, never been measured experimentally until now. This work enables the validation of conventional assumptions and the study of flow heterogeneity of lubricants in a contact. This facilitates an improved understanding of the rheology of confined lubricant and hence more accurate predictions of tribological properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The average flow model offers a great convenience for the analysis of laminar flow over rough surfaces and is widely used in simulation studies. Flow factors used in the average flow model are generally expressed as afunction of statistical properties of a single level rough surface with gentle slopes. However, for a nonconventional surface with multilevel roughness or high local surface slopes, such as polishing pads used in chemical mechanical planarization (CMP), it has not been verified whether this model is still applicable as expected. Generally, computations based on the Reynolds equation are carried out repeatedly for the same problem regarding different hut statistically identical rough surfaces, and the average flow model is applicable if stable flow factors (statistical average) are obtained. However, due to the complex topography and high local surface slopes of polishing pads used in CMP, the Reynolds equation is no longer valid, and thus a new method needs to be developed to estimate the applicability of the average flow model and to calculate the flow factors accurately. In this study, aiming to research the flow over a nonconventional random rough surface such as the slurry flow in CMP, a new strategy is developed to research the incompressible laminar flow through a narrow gap between various nonconventional rough surfaces by combining the lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) and numerical simulation of random rough surface. With this strategy, it is convenient to simulate the flow field in a narrow gap between various random rough surfaces and obtain the flow factors. In addition, an analytical formula for calculating the flow factors of a dual-level rough surface, i.e., surface composed of two different types of microstructure, is introduced and verified through a comparison with the results obtained using the presented numerical simulation strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The influence of circumferential waviness of the journal on the lubrication of the intermain bearing of an automotive engine is investigated using a theoretical analysis. The analysis is for two-dimensional thin film flow, with oil-film history. The bearing and shaft surfaces were assumed to be rigid and the lubricant isoviscous. The results show a significant influence of shaft lobing on predicted maximum film pressure and minimum film thickness, particularly as the number and size of lobes increase. It is concluded that, for satisfactory operation of engine bearings, circumferential form errors of the shaft need to be controlled. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The dynamic interaction phenomenon between three-dimensional (3-D) lubricant droplets located on the air bearing surface and air flow within the head-disk interface is modeled and numerically simulated. A strong interaction is observed for ultra low flying slider design. The droplet motion and deformation are able to induce non-negligible air bearing force and moment change, which in turn may impose a non-negligible disturbance on the slider's flying attitude. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A high-speed camera has been used to produce unique time-resolved images of high quality to describe the dynamics of the lubricant flow and cavitation characteristics in a sliding optical liner over a fixed single piston-ring lubricant assembly for three lubricants with different viscosities to establish their impact on cavitation formation and development. The images were obtained at two cranking speeds (or liner sliding velocity) of 300 rpm (0–0.36 m/s) and 600 rpm (0–0.72 m/s), at a lubricant temperature of 70 °C and a supply lubricant rate of 0.05 L/min. A special MATLAB programme has been developed to analyse the cavitation characteristics quantitatively. The dynamic process of cavities initiation was demonstrated by time-resolved images from fern cavity formation to fissure cavities and then their development to the sheet and strings cavities at a liner sliding velocity of around 0.17 m/s. The results for both up- and down-stroke motions showed that the cavities reach their fully developed state downstream of the contact point when the liner velocity reaches its highest velocity and that they start to collapse around TDC and BDC when the liner comes to rest. Within the measured range, viscosity had a great influence on length of cavities so that a decrease in viscosity (from Lubricant A to C) caused a reduction in length of cavities of up to 35% for Lubricant C. On the other hand, an increase in speed, from 300 rpm to 600 rpm, have increased the number of string cavities and also increased the length of cavities due to thicker oil film thickness with the higher speed. Overall, the agreement between the processed data by MATLAB and visualisation measurements were good, but further thresholds refinement is required to improve the accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study presents numerical predictions of the loading and flow characteristics of the two-phase lubricant flow of a Hydrodynamic Journal (HJ) bearing with herringbone microgrooves on the sleeve. This study employs a computational fluid dynamics technique to solve three-dimensional laminar Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equations with a full cavitation model and obtain characteristics of a two-phase lubricant flow in a microchannel between the shaft and the sleeve. The effect of herringbone groove depth on the lubricant pressure distribution is also examined. Numerical results show the lubricant flow with different eccentricity ratio (e) values and with different herringbone geometries at different rotational speeds (ω). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]