A theoretical investigation on the lubrication mechanism of moving particles in elliptical contact

Numerous friction and wear experiments have demonstrated that nanoparticles (NNPs) perform excellently in friction coefficient reduction and anti-wear. However, theoretical explanation of the facilitated lubrication mechanism of NNPs is of complexity. This paper proposed a revised Reynolds equation taking moving particles into consideration. Through mutually coupling the governing equations the causes of wear reduction contributed by NNPs are well understood. Considering thermal effect, time-varying effect and particles motion, effects of particles motion on the tribology performance of elliptical contact was investigated. Furthermore, the influences of two deterministic particles' distributions compared with base oil were discussed. Results show that the motion of moving particles from inlet to outlet induces remarkable increases in film thickness and considerable decreases in coefficient of friction, while also leads to evident rise of temperature and significant backflows in inlet zone. Additionally, particles with appropriate concentration are beneficial to the enhancement of lubricating film performance.