Contact mechanics and mechanical transmissions

Load carrying capacity of a heterogeneous slip/non-slip surface

left: Cavitation pattern at the slip/non/slip boundary (glycerol on OTS coating), right: Pressure in a heterogeneous or a step bearing

from left to right: Load carried by a heterogeneous surface [1], Theoretical load carried by a step bearing [2], Experimental load carried by a step bearing [2]

• In certain conditions liquids can slip at a solid boundary

• Parallel-surfaces bearings can thus be achieved just by alternating slip and no-slip regions in the direction of fluid flow

• Slip at a solid surface can be a solution for lubrication of MEMS

• External collaborators: M.D. Pascovici – “Polytechnica” Bucharest University; J. Sugimura, K. Yagi – Kyushu University Japan

[1] Thomas, E, Pascovici, M.D., and Glovnea, R.P., “Load carrying capacity of a heterogeneous surface bearing”, Friction, 2015, 3(4), 287-293

[2] E. Thomas, R. Glovnea, K. Yagi, and J. Sugimura, “Comparison between the load carrying capacity of a Rayleigh step bearing and a heterogeneous slip/non-slip surface”, proceedings of the World Tribology Congress, Sept. 2017, Beijing, China