A MIXED LUBRICATION MODEL MODIFIED BY SURFACES' FRACTAL CHARACTERISTICS

Since 1978,theaverageflowlubricationmod el,i .e .Patir Chengequation1] ,hasbeenwidelyusedinsolvingforthelubrication problemofabearingandthetribology systeminacylinder pis ton .However ,valuesoftheflowfactorsintheequation ,suchaspressureflowfactor ,aremeasuredonthebaseofroughness ,whichisvariablewithmeasuringscale .Since 1980s ,fractalgeometryhasgreatlydeveloped .Fractalistheintrinsicandglobalpropertiesofthematerialismwithfractalandinde pendentofameasuringscale .Also ,itwasverifiedthatsomemac…

A MIXED LUBRICATION MODEL MODIFIED BY SURFACES' FRACTAL CHARACTERISTICS

Fractal characteristics are introduced into solving lubrication problems. Based on the analysis of the relationship between roughness and engineering surfaces' fractal characteristics and by introducing fractal parameters into the mixed lubrication equation, the relationship between flow factors and fractal dimensions is analyzed. The results show that the pressure flow factors' values increase, while the shear flow factor decreases, with the increasing length to width ratio of a representative asperity γ at the same fractal dimension. It can be also found that these factors experience more irregular and significant variations and show the higher resolution and the local optimal and the worst fractal dimensions, by a fractal dimension D, compared with the oil film thickness to roughness ratio h/Rq. As an example of application of the model to solve the lubrication of the piston skirt in an engine, the frictional force and the load capacity of the oil film in a cylinder were analyzed. The results reveal that the oil film frictional force and the load capacity fluctuate with increasing fractal dimension, showing big values at the small D and smaller ones and slightly variable in the range of bigger one, at the same crank angle.