A finite element model for poroviscoelastic hydrodynamic lubrication

Abstract

Triboelements are ubiquitous in modern society. They exist in countless applications from locomotion (both human and mechanical) to magnetic recording. Billions of dollars are lost from tribological inefficiencies per year, and at the same time, the state-of-the-art is pushing triboelements toward greater capabilities such as load support and longevity. A potential advancement comes from including a poroviscoelastic material in triboelements. It is hypothesized that poroviscoelasticity can improve triboelement dynamic properties such as loss and wear resistance without sacrificing significant load support. A poroviscoelastic material has multiple features that make it interesting for study: porous structure for lubricant storage, a built-in dissipation mechanism, and adaptive storage and loss characteristics. A fractional calculus poroviscoelastic model will be implemented in ABAQUS, a commercially available finite element analysis (FEA) software. ABAQUS allows for external interfacing, and broad application, of the poroviscoelastic model. These applications are numerous and include: mechanical seals, biomechanical joint replacements, flexible rotordynamic bearings, soil lubricant seepage analysis, and biomimetic dampers, among others. To establish the aforementioned principles, the proposed constitutive material model will be coupled with a hydrodynamic bearing. This work will serve as the theoretical foundation for the study of poroviscoelastic hydrodynamic lubrication and its applications.