B.Tech.

(5th Semester Mechanical) TRIBOLOGY (MEPE-17)

ASSIGNMENT 1 (CO1)

1. Explain the advantages and limitations (if any) of the various contact-type and non-
contact type techniques used for the measurement of surface topography?

2. Giving suitable example, explain how the values of skewness and kurtosis can be used to
understand the nature of rough surfaces.

3. Find Ra/Rq for a Gaussian distribution with zero mean.

4. Prove that Ra<Rq .

5. A surface with a triangular sawtooth roughness pattern has a peak-tovalley height of 5

µm. Find the Ra and Rq values for this profile.

6. Consider a two-dimensional surface in the shape of a sine wave with an amplitude of 1

µm. Obtain the first four moments of the distribution curve for this surface. Repeat the
problem assuming that this surface has encountered wear, so that the top half of the sine
wave has been flattened.

7. Explain: (i) Bearing area curve, (ii) Autocorrelation function

8. Describe the surface contact model which assumes spherical asperities of uniform radius
and height. Using this model, calculate the real area of contact when a smooth sapphire
plate (E=485 GPa, υ = 0.25) and a rough steel (E=208 GPa, υ = 0.3) surface are pressed
together under a load of 42 N. Assume 1728 asperities of radius 34 μm each.
 B.Tech. ( 5th Semester Mechanical) TRIBOLOGY (MEPE-17)
ASSIGNMENT 2 (CO2)

1. Explain the quantitative laws of sliding friction. Under what conditions, the coefficient of
friction depends upon the sliding speed ?

2. Explain the limitations of Adhesion theory of friction.

3. Using a suitable value for the ratio of interfacial to bulk shear strength, compare the
values of friction coefficient obtained from Junction growth theory assuming von-Mises
and Tresca yield criteria.

4. Discuss and compare the various friction measurement techniques.

5. The maximum coefficient of friction at an interface is 0.3. If the shear strength of the bulk
material is 410 MPa, calculate the interfacial shear strength.

6. Discuss the desirable and undesirable effects of friction.

7. Compare the ploughing components of friction coefficient obtained for a conical,

cylindrical and spherical asperities.

8. Explain the mechanism of adhesive wear. Using Archard’s theory, derive the expression
for the wear volume due to adhesive wear. Explain with suitable examples how this
expression can be used for selecting a wear resistant material.

9. Compare the various techniques used for the measurement of wear? Explain

10. Write a note on wear resistant materials.

11. Explain (i) Corrosive wear, (ii) Abrasive wear, (iii) Surface fatigue

12. Discuss the desirable and undesirable effects of wear.

 B.Tech. ( 5th Semester Mechanical) TRIBOLOGY (MEPE-17)
ASSIGNMENT 3 (CO3)

1. Derive Reynolds equation and explain the physical significance of each of its terms.

2. Explain how the classical Reynolds used is used to determine the pressure distribution,
load carrying capacity and friction coefficient in a fixed inclination slider bearing.

3. The upper plate of a slider bearing has a square shape (80 mm edge) and it is moving with
a velocity of 25 m/s. If the film thicknesses at the inlet and outlet are 80 and 50 μm
respectively, calculate the load carrying capacity. Also find the contribution of shear flow
to the coefficient of friction (neglect the pressure flow term).

4. Derive the expression for film thickness and pressure distribution in an infinitely
long hydrodynamic journal bearing. How are load carrying capacity and attitude
angle determined?

5. Distinguish between the various boundary conditions used in the context of

hydrodynamic journal bearing.

6. A horizontal shaft (8 cm diameter) rotating at 500 RPM is supported by a bearing such

that the eccentricity ratio is 0.2. The hydrodynamic pressure at an angular position of 60 o
with respect to the line of centers is 0.5 MPa. Assuming Half-Sommerfeld condition,
calculate the minimum film thickness if the viscosity of the lubricant is 0.02 Pa.s.

7. Explain (i) Porous bearings (ii) Hydrostatic bearing

8. Explain the role of various additives used in lubricants.

9. Distinguish between dry friction and boundary lubrication.

10. Explain the principle of Elastohydrodynamic lubrication.

 B.Tech. (5th Semester Mechanical) TRIBOLOGY (MEPE-17)
ASSIGNMENT 4 (CO4)

1. A water-lubricated journal bearing in a boiler feed pump has a shaft of radius 0.10 m
which rotates at 10 rev/s. The kinematic viscosity in the full fluid Him region may be
taken as directly proportional to the film thickness and has a value of 4 × 10 -7 rn2/s at a
film thickness equal to the radial clearance of 0.10 mm. Determine if the bearing is
operating in the laminar or turbulent flow regime. If laminar flow is predicted, what
change in these operating conditions would produce the onset of vortex How.

2. A slider bearing has an exponential fim shape and a film thickness defined as: h = hi.e-x/L
where L is the length of slider. An incompressible fluid is assumed, and no side flow is
considered. Determine the pressure within the bearing as well as the normal load
component, the shear force component, the friction coefficient, the volume flow rate and
the power loss. Assume u = 10 m/s, hi = 163 µtm, L = 0.1 m, and µo = 0.1 Pa-s.

3. In designing a fixed-incline self-acting thrust pad when the width of the pad is much
larger than the length, it is of interest to know the magnitude and location of the
maximum pressure. The viscosity of the lubricant is 0.05 Pa.s, the sliding velocity is 10
m/s, the pad length is 0.3 m, the minimum film thickness is 15 µm and the inlet film
thickness is twice the outlet film thickness.

4. Show how the resulting load-capacity differs when using infinite-width and short-width-
journal bearing analysis while considering the complete range of eccentricity ratios 0 < ε
< 1. Assume the half-Sommerfeld boundary condition for both analysis. Show results in
tabular and graphical form for diameter-to-width ratios of 1, 2 and 4.

5. At an instantaneous point of contact between spur gear teeth operating under

elastohydrodynamic lubrication regime, the radii of curvature are 2.54 cm and 1.27 cm
with a maximum Hertzian pressure and average rolling velocity of 1.4 GPa and 0.1 m/s
respectively. The elastic modulus and Poisson's ratio of the gear material are 210 GPa and
0.27 respectively. The lubricant used is a low VI polyalphaolefin (PAO) with an inlet
viscosity of 1.42 Pa.s and a piezo-viscous coefficient of 19 GPa -1. Determine the three
 dimensionless parameters and the minimum film thickness using the Dowson-Higginson
formula.

6. A journal bearing has a diameter of 50 mm and a width of 100 mm and rotates at 1000
rpm. The bearing is lubricated by SAE 10 oil at a temperature of 110°C and supports 5
kN. Calculate the eccentricity for the full Sommerfeld, the half Sommerfeld and Reynolds
approximations.

7. Distinguish between the conventional pressure-viscoasity coefficient and reciprocal

asymptotic isoviscous piezo-viscous coefficient.
8. Explain the relevance of nano-tribology in the modern age.

9. Assuming an exponential surface height probability distribution curve, determine the real
area of contact using a stochastic model for analysis of contact between rough surfaces.

10. Explain the governing equation used for designing a gas lubricated hydrodynamic bearing
under isothermal condition at extremely high operating speed.

11. Compare the power law based Careau model and Ree-Eyring rheological models.

12. Explain the advantages of using magneto-rheological fluids as lubricating oils.

13. Explain the working of an active magnetic bearing.