A method for obtaining the temperature distribution at the interface of sliding bodies

The friction-induced temperature rise at the interface of two sliding bodies can cause a number of effects, including yield strength reduction, accelerated oxidation wear and thermoelastic instability, all of which may lead to degradation of performance or even the failure of the associated components. It is of interest, therefore, to accurately determine the temperature field resulting from sliding contact. In this study, the authors present a method for obtaining the temperature rise at the interface of two sliding semi-infinite bodies by partitioning the heat between them in such a way that the temperature at every grid point in the interface is same for both the bodies. A polynomial form is assumed for the unknown heat partition function and then a linear regression is performed to find the coefficients that optimize the temperature matching at the interface. The results of the analysis, when compared to the predictions of Blok and Jaeger, who each calculated a constant heat partition factor based on a single temperature match, indicate that their more simple analyses provide good estimates of either the maximum temperature rise (Blok) or the average temperature rise (Jaeger). The method of the current study, which yields the complete temperature and heat partition distributions within the interface, may be used in conducting a detailed thermal analysis of sliding bodies.