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Application of Spectroscopic Reflectometry to Elastohydrodynamic Lubrication Films Study

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Abstract

Optical measurement techniques have been successfully used for elastohydrodynamic (EHD) lubricant films studies for several decades and have significantly helped to understand the lubrication mechanisms within highly loaded machine contacts. Nevertheless, there are still many phenomena waiting for the explanation and new experimental approaches and measurements techniques are developed. Recent studies have provided promising results as to the application of spectroscopic reflectometry to the study of EHD films. Nevertheless, some simplifications were introduced. The main aim of this study was to develop a physically correct approach that could provide the additional information about the properties of lubricant film within highly loaded contacts. The principal part of this article was devoted to the effort to develop and verify the optical design suitable for such applications. This verification was carried out within lubricated contact formed between a steel barrel and sapphire disc without any semi-reflective layer. This simplified optical arrangement has enabled to obtain the correct lubricant film data and verify the applicability of the spectroscopic reflectometry for EHD lubrication films study. It represents the first step in this application of spectroscopic reflectometry and further research in the field of the behavior of thin solid films under high contact pressures is necessary to enable thin film measurements.

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Abbreviations

A :

Molar refractivity

d :

Thickness of the layer

E :

Amplitude of the light

I :

Intensity

k :

Extinction coefficient

M :

Characteristic multilayer matrix

\( \tilde{N} \) :

Complex refractive index

n :

Refractive index

n 0 :

Refractive index at atmospheric pressure

t ij :

Fresnel transmission coefficient

r ij :

Fresnel reflection coefficient

r :

Total reflection coefficient

β :

Phase change

\( \phi \) :

Angle

ρ :

Lubricant density

ρ 0 :

Lubricant density at atmospheric pressure

λ :

Wavelength

\( \Re \) :

Reflectance

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Acknowledgment

This research was supported by Czech Science Foundation (Project no. GC101/09/J003) and Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports (Project no. FSI-S-10-28).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Brno University of Technology, Technická 2, 61669, Brno, Czech Republic

    V. Čudek, I. Křupka & M. Hartl

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  1. V. Čudek
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  2. I. Křupka
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  3. M. Hartl
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Correspondence to I. Křupka.

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Čudek, V., Křupka, I. & Hartl, M. Application of Spectroscopic Reflectometry to Elastohydrodynamic Lubrication Films Study. Tribol Lett 45, 195–205 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11249-011-9877-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11249-011-9877-4

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