Robert A. Thompson

A Model for Asperity Load Sharing in Lubricated Contacts

A model for the contact of lubricated machine components has been developed from which the asperity or metal-to-metal contact load can be derived. The model is developed for the contact of two cylinders, and it is demonstrated by applying it to both a journal and a rolling element bearing. The solution gives the asperity load as a function of the load applied to the components, the properties of the lubricant, and the properties of the contacting surfaces. It is postulated that the asperity load thus derived can be used in the linear wear law, so that the wear of lubricated cylindrical contacts can be predicted. In order to develop the model, the surface theory of Greenwood and Williamson was combined with the hydrodynamic lubrication theory of Dowson and Higginson. Presented as an American Society of Lubrication Engineers paper at the ASME/ASLE Lubrication Conference held in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, October 5–7, 1971