A new 3D plastoelastohydrodynamic lubrication model for rough surfaces

Plastoelastohydrodynamic lubrication of rough surfaces(R-PEHL)is a cutting-edge area of research in interface fluid-structure coupling analysis.The existing R-PEHL model calculates the elastic-plastic deformation of rough surface by the Love equation in a semi-infinite space smooth surface,which deviates from the actual surface.Therefore,it is an innovative work to study the exact solution of elastic-plastic deformation of rough surface and its influence on the solution results of R-PEHL model.In this paper,a new contact calculation model of plastoelastohydrodynamic lubrication(PEHL)with three-dimensional(3D)rough surface is proposed by integrating numerical method of EHL and finite element method.The new model eliminates an original error introduced by the assumption of semi-infinite space in contact calculation,providing wide applicability and high accuracy.Under the given rough surfaces and working conditions,the study reveals that:(1)the oil film pressure calculated by the new model is lower than that of the smooth surface in semi-infinite space by 200–800 MPa;(2)the Mises stress of the new model is 2.5%–26.6%higher than that of the smooth surface in semi-infinite space;(3)compared with the semi-infinite space assumption,the rough surface plastic deformation of the new model is increased by 71%–173%,and the local plastic deformation singularity may appear under the semi-infinite space assumption;(4)the plastic deformation caused by the first contact cycle on the rough surface of the new model accounts for 66.7%–92.9%of the total plastic deformation,and the plastic deformation of the semi-infinite space accounts for 50%–83.3%.This study resolves the contradiction between the smooth surface assumption and the rough surface in the existing R-PEHL model,establishing a solid logic foundation for the accurate solution of R-PEHL model.