Decrease of elastohydrodynamic minimum film thickness with increase of a slide

The influence of a slide on the elastohydrodynamic minimum film was investi gated by using paraffinic oils, a naphthenic oil and a synthetic oil. Measu ring the film thickness at the elliptical contact zone, which was formed by the contact between a crowned roller and a sapphire disk, was carried out by the optical interferometry technique. The experimental results gained wi th each oil revealed that the minimum film thickness decreases with increas e of the slide under the condition of the constant mean velocity, and that thee is a close correlation between the decease ratio of the minimum film t hickness and the temperature rise in the Hertzian contact. Furthermore, the experimental results were compared with analytical ones based on the EHL c ontact model, which takes account of the effect of viscous heating. Close a greement between the analytical and experimental results was obtained.