| Summary: | A computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model of the thermal elastohydrodynamically lubricated (EHL) line contact problem has been developed for the purpose of exploring the physical processes that occur inside a thin EHL film subjected to shearing motion. The Navier−Stokes equations are solved by using the finite volume method (FVM) in a commercial CFD software, ANSYS Fluent. A set of user-defined functions (UDF) are used for computing viscosity, density, heat source, temperature of moving surfaces and elastic deformation of the top roller according to well-established equations commonly used in the EHL theory. The cavitation problem is solved by taking into account multiphase mixture flow. The model combinations of Houpert and Ree−Eyring and of Tait and Carreau were used for modeling the non-Newtonian behavior of Squalane and the results were compared. Both rheological models suggest the existence of shear-band and plug-flow at high fluid pressure. Due to the differences in viscosity at GPa-level pressure, the chosen model has substantial influence on the computed shear stress and temperature distributions in the high-pressure region. This shows the importance of using correct rheology information in the whole range of pressure, temperature, and shear strain rate.
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