Comparison of Conventional and Microasperity Elastohydrodynamic Lubrication of a Ball Spinning in a Nonconforming Groove

An analysis was developed for the microasperity elastohydrodynamic lubrication of a ball spinning in a nonconforming groove. This analysis was compared to the conventional elastohydrodynamic analysis of a ball spinning in a nonconforming groove. Rheological models for a di-2-ethylhexyl sebacate, a super-refined naphthenic mineral oil, and a polyphenyl ether (5P4E) were constructed from spinning torque data by using both analyses. The value of the lubricant pressure-viscosity coefficient that makes the data fit the analyses of the fluids differs somewhat from published data. For all three lubricants, an exponential composite model best described the lubricant rheology. Good agreement existed with the experimental and analytical values of torque for both the conventional and microasperity elastohydrodynamic analysis for a spinning ball in a nonconforming groove.