Parametric Analysis of Ferrofluid Line Contact Elastohydrodynamic Lubrication
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15282/ijame.22.2.2025.5.0942Keywords:
Friction, Ferrofluid, Elastohydrodynamic, Lubrication, Magnetic fieldAbstract
Ferrofluids are stable colloidal suspensions consisting of magnetic nanoparticles. A ferrofluid can be kept in a particular location by applying a suitable magnetic field. This feature is crucial in improving lubrication, especially in situations where there is a possibility of starvation. In this paper, a model for ferrofluid elastohydrodynamic lubrication is presented. Very detailed parameters of ferrofluid, such as magnetic saturation, ferrofluid radius, surfactant thickness, and ferrofluid concentration, are considered in this model. Then, various factors that affect the lubricant flow, such as load, entraining velocity, ferrofluid type, ferrofluid specification, and concentration on lubricant film thickness variation and friction coefficient, are investigated. The governing equations of ferrofluid flow, such as continuity, modified Reynolds equation, ferrofluid properties relationships, magnetic intensity, film thickness, and load equation, are derived and simultaneously solved in Matlab to find the pressure variation and local film thickness. The results show that by increasing the load, the particle size, and the volume concentration, the lubricant film thickness decreases, and the friction coefficient rises. Also, by increasing the speed, magnetic saturation, and magnetic field intensity, the thickness of the lubricant layer will increase, and the friction coefficient will decrease. At low loads, using ferrofluid will improve the friction coefficient by about 15% and at high loads by about 40%. The effect of ferrofluid at different speeds is about a 30% reduction in the friction coefficient. The optimum ferrofluid concentration was also estimated to be 2% by volume. Finally, the optimal state of using ferrofluid based on type, mixing percentage and coating thickness have been obtained.
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