Friction of Textured Surfaces in Elastohydrodynamic Regime: Experimental and Numerical Investigations

Abstract

This thesis focuses on finding new ways to control the friction coefficient in elastohydrodynamically lubricated (EHL) contacts through the use of surface textures. Experiments and numerical simulations are employed to first identify the governing phenomena responsible for friction in EHL and then to assess the effect of different surface textures (dimples, grooves and ripples) on the friction coefficient. The findings indicate that the coefficient can be controlled by carefully adjusting the texture geometry.