Study on influence of cavitation effect on oil film characteristics between clutch friction pairs

WEN Shicong; SUN Junyu; SHI Fuxi

doi:10.16578/j.issn.1004.2539.2025.10.014

Abstract：[Objective]This study investigates the effects of hemispherical surface textures on cavitation in high-speed rotating friction pairs,analyzing pressure disturbances at texture boundaries and their impact on oil film stability to enhance lubrication performance and reduce cavitation.[Methods]By combining simulation and test,the influence of surface texture on friction lubrication characteristics was analyzed.Firstly,multiphase flow,turbulence,and cavitation models were established.Then,finite element analysis was conducted to examine cavitation characteristics(velocity field,pressure field,and mass transfer rate)under different texture ratios.Finally,a visualization test platform was built,using high-speed cameras to observe cavitation bubble dynamics on textured and non-textured counterfaces at varying rotational speeds.[Results]Simulation and test results reveal that cavitation volume fraction and texture ratio are not positively correlated.The onset and collapse of cavitation is extremely short,and once the conditions for cavitation are met,full vacuoles can be produced within 0.015 s.The velocities of gas and liquid phases in cavitation region are always the same,and process of occurring cavitation is accompanied by gas-liquid mass transfer.The results verify that the cavitation gas originates from phase transition of liquid;the uneven surface in flow field is the focal trigger for cavitation.Simulation analysis and test results show that smooth surface does not produce cavitation,while the textured surface of the friction sub-surface is prone to intense cavitation.Therefore,surface roughness and location of texture distribution should be given priority when processing microtextures.