The influence of the slide-to-roll ratio on the friction coefficient and film thickness of EHD point contacts under steady state and transient conditions

The effect of different slide-to-roll ratios has been experimentally investigated under steady state and transient conditions using a steel ball in contact with the plane surface of a glass disc. Under transient conditions the entraining velocity has been varied with a sinusoidal law at two different frequencies. Measurements of the friction force and film thickness using optical interferometry have been made.For the same working conditions, different friction coefficient trends found for positive and negative slide-to-roll ratios can be related to different film thickness values and shapes. The combination of different thermal effects could be a possible explanation for the obtained results.