THE INFLUENCE OF MOVING DENT ON POINT EHL CONTACTS

A transient analysis for a dent passing through the conjunction of a point EHL contact was developed and solved numerically by using the multigrid method. Results show that the presence of sliding produces a noticeable pressure ridge and thus, a surface indentation at either leading side of the dent if the dent moves slower than the opposite surface, or at the trailing side if the dent moves faster than the opposite surface. The pressure ridge and surface indentation extend their lengths forward or backward from the dent in the sliding direction at a rate approximately half the sliding speed. The pressure fluctuation associated with the dent increases with increasing slide-to-roll ratio and dent depth, and decreases with increasing dent width in both x- and y-directions. The agreement between numerical simulation and experimental results obtained by Wedeven and Cusano (1) is remarkably close.