Elastohydrodynamic lubrication of inhomogeneous materials using the equivalent inclusion method

Solid materials forming the boundaries of a lubrication interface may be elastoplastic, heat treated, coated with multilayers, or functionally graded. They may also be composites reinforced by particles or have impurities and defects. Presented in this paper is a model for elastohydrodynamic lubrication interfaces formed with these realistic materials. This model considers the surface deformation and subsurface stresses influenced by material inhomogeneities, where the inhomogeneities are replaced by inclusions with properly determined eigenstrains by means of the equivalent inclusion method. The surface displacement or deformation caused by inhomogeneities is introduced to the film thickness equation. The stresses are the sum of those caused by the fluid pressure and the eigenstrains. The lubrication of a material with a single inhomogeneity, multiple inhomogeneities, and functionally graded coatings are analyzed to reveal the influence of inhomogeneities on film thickness, pressure distribution, and subsurface stresses.