Elastohydrodynamic lubrication of soft viscoelastic materials in line contact

The paper discusses the influence of viscoelasticity in elastohydrodynamic lubrication (EHL). It is shown that viscoelastic effects, particularly in soft materials such as rubber and polymers, may significantly affect the lubrication process. The variations of the pressure and film thickness with viscoelasticity are discussed, as is the internal energy loss in the material. Two effects are present. The first, controlled by the Deborah number based on the Hertz contact width, determines the width of the contact, the overall pressure distribution and the energy loss. The second, controlled by the Deborah number based on the entrainment length, largely determines the thickness of the entrained film and the minimum film thickness.