Rapid calculation of the pressures and clearances in rough, rolling-sliding elastohydrodynamically lubricated contacts. Part 1: Low-amplitude, sinusoidal roughness

Surface roughness in elastohydrodynamically lubricated (EHL) contacts may have a significant effect on component life and there is a need to be able to assess its effects quickly. This article describes a rapid calculation method, which provides accurate results where the amplitude of the roughness is relatively low and which gives good indications of the likely behaviour for higher amplitudes. In the first part, the effect of low-amplitude, sinusoidal roughness is examined, and it is shown that the behaviour can, for any wavelength and roughness orientation, be characterized by three complex quantities. Calculation of two of these is straightforward; the third requires curve fitting to the results obtained using a perturbation analysis. Details of the process are given. The second part of the article discusses how these results can be used to predict the behaviour of any rough surface under rolling-sliding EHL conditions. © IMechE 2007.