About the change of flow factors during the run-in process of lubricated contacts

Purpose This paper aims to increase the knowledge of the run-in process of lubricated contacts in hydraulical pumps. When performing EHL simulations of tribological contacts, the surface influence needs to be taken into account. This experimental measurement wants to investigate the amount of change of the flow factors in the first hour of run of tribological contacts. Design/methodology/approach An experimental test bench is used to run-in several samples. After several minutes of running, samples are removed and the surface structure is captured using a digital microscope. With the measured data, flow factors are calculated. Findings The findings were clear that flow factors are highly direction-dependent, especially shear flow factors in radial directions experience almost no change. Overall, influence of the surface structure of up to 30% compared to a flat surface can be registered. Originality/value This paper helps to choose application-oriented values for the simulation of tribological contacts.