An engineering approach for rapid evaluation of traction coefficient and wear in mixed EHL

•A simple approach for predicting traction in mixed EHL is presented.•A simple approach for predicting wear in mixed EHL is presented.•The approach provides reasonable results for prediction of traction and wear.

An engineering approach is introduced for estimating the traction coefficient and the wear rate in elastohydrodynamic lubrication of rough surfaces without the need of extensive numerical simulations. The method suggested by Tian and Kennedy is extended to the mixed EHL to estimate the temperature rise. This temperature rise is then used together with the formulas for the film thickness and asperity load to evaluate the traction coefficient and the wear rate for different input conditions. The results from this method are compared to those from numerical simulations.