Towards the true prediction of EHL friction

Abstract

The capability to predict elastohydrodynamic film-thickness and friction from primary measurements of transport properties of liquid has been an elusive goal for tribologists for 50 years. Most comparisons between predictions and experiments involve some amount of tuning of the model in order to match the experimental results. In true prediction, this cannot be done since there are normally no experimental results to compare to. Primary measurements of lubricant transport properties of Squalane were performed, and used in a numerical friction prediction model. Afterwards, friction was measured in a ball-on-disc tribotester. No tuning of the lubricant properties, model or test setup were applied. The current work on EHL-friction is therefore a true representation of the current level of EHL-friction prediction.