Fundamental Study on Gear Lubrication by Oil-mist

In oil mist lubrication, it is unclear how much oil and air shall be supplied to certain mechanical systems, especially gears. In this study, oil mist lubrication to a gear pair is investigated. The relationship between spray characteristics and the thickness of the oil film formed on gear teeth is measured quantitatively. The oil film thickness is measured by laser induced fluorescence (LIF) based method developed in the research. The oil film thickness increases with time and converges to a certain value, which depends on both supply condition of the oil mist and load torque.