The effects of artificially-produced defects on the film thickness distribution in sliding EHD point contacts

Effects of artificially produced dents and grooves on the elastohydrodynamic film thickness profile in a sliding point contact are investigated using optical interferometry. Defects on the surface of a highly polished ball are held stationary at various locations within the vicinity of the contact region while the disk is rotating. It is shown that defects can dramatically change the film thickness which exists when no defects are present in or near the contact, and it is shown that the change in thickness is mainly a function of the position of the defects in the inlet region, the geometry of the defects, the orientation of the defects in the case of grooves, and the depth of the defect relative to the central film thickness.