No description available.

Plans to shut down nuclear power plants in some European countries as well as increased electricity production by wind and solar power will increase the work load on hydroelectric power plants in the future. Also, due to the power grid regulations, hydroelectric power plants undergo more frequent start-ups and shut-downs. During such transient periods, a large amplitude shaft motion can occur, especially in the power plants with vertical shafts. Large shaft motion is not desirable because it can lead to a machine failure. Furthermore, performance limitations of conventional white metal or babbitted bearings call for the development of new bearing designs. An outstanding tribological performance can be achieved by introducing compliant polymer liners. At the same time, bearings with compliant liners may alter rotor-bearing system dynamic behaviour compared to the systems with conventional white metal bearings. The research approach of this thesis is to employ nonlinear analysis to provide further understanding of the compliant bearing dynamic response to synchronous shaft excitation. Plain cylindrical journal bearings with different compliant liner thicknesses were analysed using a nonlinear approach. The numerical model was verified with an in-house developed code at steady state conditions. Results obtained by the numerical models showed good agreement. After verification of the numerical model for fixed geometry journal bearings, models for tilting pad journal bearings were developed. Results for the tilting pad journal bearing with three pads with line pivot geometry were compared with published data in dynamic conditions. A good agreement was obtained between the two numerical models. The effect of pad pivot geometry on bearing dynamic response was investigated. Vertical and horizontal shaft configurations were compared in terms of the effect of preload factor, pivot offset, tapers and pad inclination angles. Influence of the viscoelastic properties of compliant liners was also studied. All these factors significantly affect bearing dynamic response. It is shown how these factors should be selected to control the journal orbit sizes. It was also shown that the compliant liner provides lower maximum oil film pressure and thicker minimum oil film thickness in the bearing mid-plane in both static and dynamic operating conditions. / <p>QC 20120319</p> / Swedish Hydropower Centre

The gears in a transmission are lubricated to prevent their premature failure as a result of pitting and wear on the tooth surfaces. Furthermore, the lubricant also limits the rise in surface temperature of the gears, which could otherwise lead to failure as a result of scuffing. The purpose of this thesis was to construct a fairly realistic theoretical lubrication model for spur and helical gears, the primary output parameters of this model being film thickness and flash temperatures, which would help in the identification of areas on the gear tooth surface prone to the aforementioned modes of failure. This thesis was carried out at the Gear Technology group in Scania CV AB in collaboration with the department of machine design at KTH. Gear lubrication is tricky as it entails the determination of parameters such as loads, curvatures, and velocities; which are different along the entire surface of the gear tooth. Primarily the loads are hard to obtain as they are dynamic in nature; the load is shared between different pairs of teeth during motion. The calculation of velocities and curvatures in an area of the gear surface called the tip relief can also not be done in a straightforward manner. These issues were simplified to a large extent with the assistance of a program called Helical 3D; owing to its powerful contact analysis algorithm, values of the film thickness and flash temperatures could be determined in almost every region where contact occurred between the gear teeth. The results of the lubrication model showed a reduction in film thickness in the tip relief area of the gear tooth surface; which meant that there were higher chances for the incidence of pitting and wear in this region. This was later confirmed when photographs from experimental tests illustrated a pitting line in the tip relief region of the helical gear. It was also inferred from the model that the occurrence of pitting could be greatly reduced if a quadratic tip relief modification were applied when compared to the existing linear modification used at Scania. Another important conclusion drawn was that thermal effects contributed to a significant decrease in the film thickness. Furthermore, the model showed higher flash temperatures close to the tip of the gear tooth surface, and photographs from experiments conducted showed the prescence of scuffing marks there.

No description available.

No description available.

A common approach in numerical studies of elastohydrodynamic lubrication (EHL) is based on solving the Reynolds equation that governs pressure distribution in thin lubricant films. The Reynolds equation is derived from the Navier-Stokes equations by taking assumptions that are considered valid when the thickness of the lubricant film is much smaller than its length. A massive increase in the computing power over the last decades has enabled the use of CFD (computational fluid dynamics) approach, based on the Navier-Stokes equations, in solving the EHL problem. Comparisons between the CFD and Reynolds approach have generally shown very good agreement. Differences can occur when the thin film assumptions of the Reynolds equation are not applicable. In this study, a CFD approach has been chosen with the aim of investigating effects of asperities and rheology at high loads on the behavior of the thin EHL films. A high quality mesh was generated in ANSYS ICEM CFD, while ANSYS Fluent has been employed in solving the Navier-Stokes equation by finite volume method (FVM). For EHL modeling, a set of user-defined functions (UDFs) were used for computing density, viscosity, wall temperature, heat source and elastic deformation of one of the contacting surfaces. Two lubricants were used, a commonly used oil in CFD analyses of EHL and Squalane. Non-Newtonian fluid behavior and thermal effects were considered. For Squalane, the two rheology models, Ree-Eyring and Carreau were compared. Squalane has been chosen in this study since it is one of the rare fluids with known parameters for both rheology models. Finally, the influence of surface roughness was explored for the cases of a single asperity and a completely rough wall. A surface roughness profile is generated in MATLAB by using the Pearson distribution function. In the cases where the surfaces are assumed to be completely smooth, the obtained results at the pressure of about 0.5 GPa closely correspond to literature, both in the case of Newtonian and non-Newtonian fluid behavior. At the pressure of about 1 GPa, severe shearing of the lubricant film has been noticed, characterized by a pronounced shear-band and plug flow. It was found that the choice of viscosity and rheology models has a large influence on the obtained results, especially at the high pressure levels. Finally, it was discovered that the developed CFD model of EHL has a great potential in studying the effects of surface roughness on the lubricant film behavior.

The Piston Ring - Cylinder Liner (PRCL) contact is the single largest contributor to frictional losses in an internal combustion (IC) engine, causing 20-40% of all mechanical losses. If these mechanical losses can be reduced by 10% then vehicle fuel efficiency could be increased by approximately 1.5-2.5%. In todays automotive industry fuel efficiency is one of the most important factors in vehicle design due to increasing concerns about energy security, increasing fuel prices and climate change. The objective of this project is to optimise the cylinder surface texture, which when referring to cylinder liners in this work means the cross-hatch grooves left by the honing process.This work focuses on simulation techniques that can be used to help optimize cylinder liner surface texture to reduce friction while at the same time minimizing oil consumption and wear. Cylinder liner surface topography is investigated with a range of measurement techniques in order to reveal all the important features of the existing surface. Different ways of characterizing surface topography based on both traditional height averaging parametersand functional parameters calculated for a range of different surface measurements are discussed. The different characterization techniques are compared to find the most appropriate way of quantitatively describing surface topographies.A full engine cycle simulation of the PRCL contact has been developed. A homogenization technique was implemented for solving the Reynolds equation. This is a two scale approach where surface roughness is treated on the local scale and surface texture plus global geometry on the global scale. A method for generating artificial surface topography based on real surface measurement data was developed. This allows for the possibility of simulating a wide range of new surface topographies in order to investigate their potential for reducing friction and minimising oil consumption and wear.

Rolling element bearings contain seals to keep lubricant inside and contamination outside the bearing system. These bearings are more often lubricated with grease rather than oil. Much knowledge is available on oil lubricated seals but a good understanding of grease lubricated seals is lacking.In this thesis, first the lubrication, pumping and sealing mechanisms of oil and grease lubricated radial lip seals have been discussed. The first paper reviews the public literature. This review has shown that very little is known on grease lubrication in radial lip seals. The primary lubrication, sealing and pumping mechanisms found for oil lubricated seals are micro-elastohydrodynamic lubrication between the seal and shaft roughness and tangential deformations of the seal surface for a pumping action. These mechanisms are important but it is felt that other effects have to be included for explaining differences seen in grease lubricated radial lip seals. One effect in grease lubrication is the normal stress effect which is described in the second paper. It is shown that the grease rheology and especially the normal stress effect play a significant role in film formation in grease lubricated seals. The model predicts that 50 to 60% of the load carrying capacity can be generated by the normal stress effect for a low contact pressure bearing seal depending on the operating conditions. The oil bleed model presented in the third paper describes the release of oil from the grease. This model is based on viscous flow through the porous soap microstructure and the driving force is the pressure gradient resulting from centripetal forces. It is shown that the soap fibre distribution has to become anisotropic during oil bleed and the model has been validated with experiments at different temperatures and rotating speeds. The model can be used with good confidence for longer periods of time and can be used as input for replenishment models.

In recent years, the use of ultra high-strength steels (UHSS) as structural reinforcements and in energy-absorbing systems in automobiles has increased rapidly; mainly in view of their favourable strength to weight ratios. However, due to their high strength, the formability of UHSS is poor, thus complex-shaped UHSS components are invariably produced through hot-metal forming processes. The use of hot stamping or press hardening, which was developed during the 1970’s in northern Sweden, has become increasingly popular for the production of ultra high strength steels. In hot stamping, different tribological problems arise when the tool and work-piece interact during the forming process at elevated temperatures. Wear and surface damage of forming tools can be detrimental to the quality of the final product and these can also have an adverse impact on the process economy due to frequent maintenance or replacement of tools. In this work, a literature review pertaining to tribology of hot sheet metal forming has been carried out. This review has revealed that the awareness of tribology and its application in metal forming processes at high temperature has increased in the recent years. A considerable amount of work has been done to enhance the understanding of the response of different materials and parameters involved and also to improve the process itself. However, despite these developments, there exist major gaps in knowledge pertaining to the occurrence of friction and wear in hot sheet metal forming. Extensive experimental studies have thus been undertaken to bridge some of the knowledge gaps related to tool wear and failure mechanisms in the hot stamping process. These studies have involved both the systematic analysis of actual worn tools as well as parametric tribological investigations in the laboratory. The analysis of worn tools showed that friction is a crucial parameter in their operating life. It was observed that severe mechanical stresses are generated due to high friction during the work-piece/tool interaction. As a result of the cyclic thermal and mechanical loads imposed during the hot forming process, the stresses generated eventually lead to the occurrence of fatigue damage at the tool surface. Another important mechanism observed was material transfer from the work-piece to the tool surface. This is particularly common and detrimental in hot forming of coated work-piece material. The most common coating applied to the ultra high strength steel is a hot dip aluminium based coating, commonly referred to as Al-Si coating. The parametric studies carried out were aimed at understanding of the initiation mechanisms of material transfer from the Al-Si coated steel to the tool material. The results showed that severe galling occurs by accumulation and compaction of wear debris and becomes enhanced in tools having rough surfaces. The roughness defects on the surface promote accumulation of wear particles. Furthermore, high contact pressure also enhances the compaction of wear debris and consequently the severity of material transfer. It was observed that the severity of galling can be reduced by the use of smooth and hard surfaces. Additionally, the use of different PVD coatings on the tool steels showed an increased tendency on adhesion, causing a severe material transfer onto the tool surface.

Traditionally rolling contact fatigue observed in bearing field applications was subsurface initiated. However, despite the improvement of steel properties, some factors such as downsizing in bearing design, extreme loading of the bearings as well as demanding application conditions (start up-stop cycles) have led to an increase on the cases of surface damage related to surface initiated fatigue, that comes basically from surface distress. Possible causes leading to surface initiated fatigue are: material and surface properties, marginal lubrication and lubricant chemical composition. Lubricants are formulated products composed of base oil, and an additive package designed for a specific application. Extreme-pressure (EP) and antiwear (AW) additives are chemically active additives, they react with the steel surfaces in contact to form a protective additivederived layer, thus reducing friction and controlling wear. However, certain EP/AW additives that increase the performance of other machine elements, such as gears, can be detrimental for the bearings running in the same lubrication environment. In order to identify the plausible mechanisms that govern the detrimental effect of EP/AW additives on bearing performance, it is necessary to study closely the interactions occurring in the system form by the base oil, the additives present and the steel surface, as well as the influence of operating conditions. The focus of the present work is to identify the parameters affecting the additive-derived layer formation, as it is directly related to the additive reactivity towards the surface, and the tribological properties of the layer, that will determine the tribological performance. Zinc dialkyldithiophosphate (ZDDP), and two low viscosity model oils with different polarity were selected. The influence of base oil polarity on the additive performance was studied in the nanoscale using Atomic Force Microscopy and the tribological performance was evaluated using a ball-on-disc test rig under mixed rolling-sliding conditions in the boundary lubrication regime. An in-situ interferometry technique was used to monitor the additive derived reaction layer formation, and the chemical composition, morphology and nanomechanical properties were studies using X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy, Atomic Force Microscopy and Nanoindentation respectively. It was found that base oil polarity determines the transport of additives to the surface thereby controlling the maximum reaction layer thickness, friction and wear, as well as the morphology and nanomechanical properties of the additive-derived reaction layer. However the reaction layer chemical composition is not determined by the base oil polarity. Among the operating conditions, shear was identified as a fundamental parameter on the activation of additives on rubbing steel surfaces and the properties of the derived reaction layer.