A FINITE-ELEMENT BOUNDARY-ELEMENT TREATMENT FOR THE ANALYSIS OF ELASTOHYDRODYNAMIC LUBRICATION PROBLEMS

A combined finite element evaluation of hydrodynamic pressure and boun dary element calculation of film thickness is presented. The viscosity and the density of the oil are assumed to vary with pressure, however the isothermal condition is assumed to prevail. The technique is base d on an iterative procedure by assuming an initial hydrodynamic pressu re. The iteration cycle will then be followed by the calculation of th e film thickness and hydrodynamic pressure to arrive at a converged so lution. The bearings have been treated realistically as finite domain bodies and their deformations are evaluated by boundary element method . The accuracy of the technique is illustrated in elastohydrodynamic l ubrication (EHL) of inclined slider and line contact problems.