On the Transitions in the Lubrication of Concentrated Contacts

Friction experiments on lubricated concentrated contracts were performed to study; (a) the transitions between the different lubrication modes when operating in the lubricants liquid-state regime and (b) the frictional behavior of these contacts, under conditions of full-film lubrication, taking into account the lubricants liquid-state and solid-state behavior. On the basis of these results a flow diagram is presented for lubricated concentrated contacts, from which the lubrication mode as well as the frictional behavior can be obtained as a function of the operational conditions, under which these contacts are functioning.