Experimental investigation into the response of elastohydrodynamic films to harmonic vibrations

Many machine components, which work in the Elastohydrodynamic (EHD) lubrication regime, including transportation bearings, reciprocating engines, geared transmissions experience vibrations, which result in a rapid variation of contact load or entrainment speed. The bearings supporting the main spindle of machine tools are subjected to vibrations generated by the cutting process, the gearbox, geometrical inaccuracies and also vibrations from the surrounding environment. It is very important to understand how these vibrations affect the lubrication and functioning of the bearings supporting the main spindle, in order to maintain the desired precision and accuracy of the cutting process.