1

Interface Temperatures
(Intro)
When components in relative motion are mechanically engaged, the region of contact, which
could be dry or separated by a lubricant film, experiences a temperature rise.
This temperature change is associated with the presence of mechanical energy, which is
required to overcome frictional resistance as sliding at the contact interface occurs. The energy,
dissipated through a conversion into thermal energy, is manifested as a temperature rise.
At the microscale, this increase can be substantial and can result in changes in material
properties, chemical reactivity and ultimately failure.
Most of the frictional energy input is generally used up in plastic deformation which is directly
converted to heat in the material close to interface. The plastic deformation results in
increased atomic lattice vibrations, i.e. phonons. This energy is eventually transferred into heat.
For elastic deformations, thermal energy loss is small, 0.1-10% (typically <1%).
The energy is dissipated over the asperity contacts, which results in very high density of energy
dissipated (as high as few kW/mm
2
) over the contact duration (on the order of few s or less).
This results in transient (flash) temperature, T
f
, rise which is highly localized:
Fig. Schematic of asperity contacts of
different sizes moving across a semi-
infinite body; these contacts continually
grow, shrink and disappear.
b c f
T T T =
T
c
is contact temp.,
T
b
is bulk temperature
Upon frictional heating, the
surface temp. ascends from T
b
to
T
c
at each point of A
r
2
Stationary Heat Source
There is no single thermal analysis that will represent all conditions of sliding.
Thus we will develop solutions that are valid over limited ranges of contact stress and velocity.
We will discuss high contact stress (individual) and low contact stress (multiple asperity)
conditions for stationary point source and moving heat source of different contact geometries.
Heat conduction:
In all analyses, we will assume heat transfer occurs by conduction while convection and
radiation effects are neglected.
Consider line source which generates thermal energy of magnitude of H /unit length L at time
t=0 with initial uniform temperature O
o
.
The material has certain density, , (kg/m
3
) specific heat, c, (J /kgK) and thermal conductivity, K,
(W/mK) or grouped together as thermal diffusivity, k (m
2
/s) :
Heat is conducted radially through the solid so that distribution of temperature O is
symmetrical about y-axis.
The equation relating O to position r and time t
in non-dimensional form is:
where T=H/LKO and b
2
=H/cO
o
so that k=b
2
/T
c
K

k =
(1)
)
`

=
O
O O
) / ( 4
) / (
exp
) / ( 2
1
2
T t
b r
T t
o
t
(2)
Materials with high thermal diffusivity rapidly adjust their temperature to that of their
surroundings, because they conduct heat quickly in comparison to their thermal 'bulk'.
3
Stationary Heat Source (continued)
Fig. Temperature rise under an instantaneous heat source of
intensity H versus distance r for various times. Inset shows the
decay of the peak temperature at r=0.
When t=0, that is, at the instant at which the
source is applied, the temperature on the Oy-
axis reaches a theoretically infinite value but
this falls rapidly with time.
The area under each curve represents the
energy input/unit length, which can be used to
estimate the thermal conditions in a tribological
contact in which there is a very rapid input of
thermal energy, i.e., interfacial friction.
)
`

=
O
O O
) / ( 4
) / (
exp
) / ( 2
1
2
T t
b r
T t
o
t
(2)
temperature drops
over larger distances
with faster times
temperature
drops for longer
times
(over larger distances you
are dissipating more energy)
4
Stationary Point Source
More realistic set of circumstances is modeled by a continuous source of thermal energy acting
at the boundary with point source of intensity (units=W/m
2
) at t=0 acting at origin.
Expression for relating O to position r and time t is: :
where b= /KO
o
and T=c
2
/K
3
O
o
2
so that again k=b
2
/T
After large time (t/T>>1 ) the temperature
throughout the solid tends to the steady
distribution:
Since sources of thermal energy must be
of finite area, the resulting surface and
subsurface temperature distributions can be
estimated by superposing appropriate point
or line solutions.
For circular heat source of radius a, the
mean surface temperature
O within the contact is:
While for a square contact patch (2a x 2a) it is:
-
h
)
`

=
O
O O
) / ( 4
) / (
1
) / ( 2
1
2
T t
b r
erf
b r
o
t
(3)
-
h
-
h
(4)
) / ( 2
1
b r
o
t
=
O
O O
Fig. Temperature rise in a half-space
due to a continuous point source of
heat of intensity .
Inset shows form of erf.
-
h
K
ha
o
-
= O O 85 . 0 (5)
K
ha
o
-
= O O 95 . 0
(6)
, ,
t
= ,
}
,
d erf ) exp(
2
) (
0
2
,>2,erf~1
,<0.5,erf~,
this is indicated by
curve = T t /
5
Moving Heat Sources
Consider source of heat to be at rest and half-space beneath it to be moving at speed, U.
Once again consider continuous source of thermal energy of intensity per unit area of width
2a lying about the Oy-axis in Figure, the surface temperature is:
where and
Peclet number is ratio of speed of the surface to
the rate of thermal diffusion into the solid.
In other words, its an indicator of the heat
penetration into the bulk of the contacting solid,
i.e., it describes whether there is sufficient time
for the surface temperature distribution of the
contact to diffuse into the stationary solid.
A large Pe, e.g., >5, indicates a higher surface
velocity for constant material characteristics,
since during the time taken for the surface to
traverse the heated zone, relatively little thermal
energy can diffuse more than a short distance
into the solid.
The max. temps. occur towards the rear of contact where the material had greater exposure to the heat source.
-
h
{ } X Pe f
KPe
ha
o
,
2 / 1
-
= O O
(7)
k 2
) # (
Ua
Peclet Pe =
k 2
Ux
X =
Fig. Steady-state surface temperature profiles in a
half-space moving under a heat band of width 2a
for various values of Peclet Number, Pe.
trailing edge
leading edge
6
Peclet Number in Moving Heat Sources
Heat transfer effects vary with Pe.
For Pe<0.1, one surface moves very
slowly with respect to the other. There
is a enough time for the temperature
distribution of the contact to be
established in the stationary body, i.e.,
steady state conduction.
For 0.1<Pe<5, intermediate region,
one surface moves fast with respect
to the other, and a slowly moving heat
source model is assumed.
For Pe>5, one surface moves fast with
respect to the other and is modeled by
a fast moving heat source. There is
insufficient time for the temperature
distribution of the contact to be
established in the stationary body. The
depth heat penetrates into stationary
body is very small compared to contact
dimensions.
With slow moving and fast moving contacts, flash
temperature equations are applied for both conditions
consecutively, assuming initially that all frictional energy
is conducted to the moving surface and then all
frictional energy is conducted to stationary surface.