Estimation of heat generation at the interface of cylindrical bars during friction process

In this study, an inverse algorithm based on the conjugate gradient method and the discrepancy principle is applied to estimate the unknown time-dependent heat generation at the interface of cylindrical bars during friction process from the knowledge of temperature measurements taken within the bar. It is assumed that no prior information is available on the functional form of the unknown heat generation; hence the procedure is classified as the function estimation in inverse calculation. The temperature data obtained from the direct problem are used to simulate the temperature measurements, and the effect of the errors in these measurements upon the precision of the estimated results is also considered. Results show that an excellent estimation on the time-dependent heat generation can be obtained for the test case considered in this study. The current methodology can be applied to the prediction of heat generation in continuous-drive friction welding or in breaking systems.