Effect of surface topography on mixed lubrication film formation during start up under rolling/sliding conditions

The start up operation of mixed lubricated contacts represents one of the transient conditions that bring the risk of the surface damage because of asperities interactions. This paper focuses on the effects of both artificially produced and real roughness features on mixed lubrication film formation during start up of non-conformal contacts operated under rolling/sliding conditions. Chromatic interferograms captured during start up enabled the detailed changes in lubrication film caused by surface features to be observed. The observation of the effects of surface dents artificially produced on the ball surface helped to better understand the behaviour of real surface topography. It was found that the presence of shallow surface features can help to separate mixed lubricated rubbing surfaces more efficiently than it could be suggested from the results obtained with smooth surfaces. Lubricant emitted from surface features appears to spread more easily within the mixed lubricated contact because of local decrease of pressure in the vicinity of real surface features. Conversely, high pressure within smooth contacts restricts the migration of lubricant emitted from surface pits much more. It can be suggested from the results obtained that the properly designed topography of the rubbing surfaces can help to reduce the asperities interactions under transient operational conditions.