Modelling rolling contact fatigue cracks in the hydrodynamic lubrication regime: A coupled approach

In this paper we present a coupled method for modelling fluid-solid interactions within a crack generated by rolling contact fatigue (RCF) in the presence of a lubricant. The technique describes the fluid flow in the contact area and within a surface-breaking crack and explores how this affects the elastic deformation of the solid while the moving load traverses the surface crack. The approach sheds light on the transient response of the system by explicitly modelling the localised fluid flow and support within the crack, providing a physically-accurate description of the phenomenon under investigation.