Two Elastohydrodynamic Lubrication Models for Point Contact Herringbone Gear With Numerical Simulation

Abstract The multigrid method was used to study the lubrication behavior of the isothermal and thermal elastohydrodynamic lubrication (EHL) contact area of the point contact herringbone gear. A comparison between the present EHL model and literature data is performed to verify the correctness of the newly developed model. The effects of the same geometry and working parameters on the lubrication performance (pressure, film thickness, and temperature rise) of the two models are investigated. The results show that both analysis models exhibit the typical characteristics of oil film in point contact EHL. Under the influence of a given entrainment velocity, load, slide–roll ratio, and viscosity, thermal EHL can more accurately simulate and analyze the actual situation. Within a specific range, increasing entrainment velocity, reducing load, and controlling the slip–roll ratio between 0.5 and 1.0 are beneficial for improving lubrication performance. However, a large increase in oil film temperature can easily lead to severe thermal deformation and gluing.