ABSTRACT
In this chapter we will consider a special case of a thermal EHL (TEHL) problem for Newtonian lubricant when the contact surface temperatures are known and equal. To simplify and analyze the problem we will develop a powerful perturbation technique. This approach will allow us to reduce the whole thermal EHL problem (which includes the energy equation for lubricant) to an EHL problem for a modified Reynolds equation in a certain sense similar to the classic isothermal one. The latter problem can be solved numerically or studied by the appropriate asymptotic methods. Historically, this approach was first developed by Kudish in [1] - [5] for analysis of isothermal and thermal EHL problem for Newtonian and non-Newtonian fluid lubricants and greases. Later, it was employed for fluid lubricants with non-Newtonian rheologies in [6]. The general case of a thermal problem for a non-Newtonian lubricant with
heat dissipation in contact solids is considered in the next chapter.
