A theoretical study of ionic liquid lubricated μ-EHL line contacts considering surface texture

In this paper, the micro-EHL behavior of seven different ionic liquids in textured surface of concentrated engineering contacts is discussed. The surface textures with sinusoid, triangle and saw-tooth waveform with roughness amplitudes equal to asperity heights have been considered. The ionic liquids have been modeled as piezo-viscous power-law lubricants and film thickness, contact pressure and friction force studied for different power law index, material parameter and texture patterns. The results show that the texture pattern and material combinations significantly affect the micro-EHL contact behavior. Lubricating behavior of ionic liquids can be improved by judicious selection of texture and material combinations.