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Updated: Mar 10, 2026

Experiments on Ultrasonic Lubrication Using a Piezoelectrically-assisted Tribometer and Optical Profilometer
Published on: September 28, 2015
Dynamic system model for ultrasonic lubrication in perpendicular configuration
Sheng Dong1, Marcelo J Dapino1
1Smart Vehicle Concepts Center, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA.
Abstract:
Ultrasonic lubrication can be achieved by superimposing ultrasonic vibrations onto the relative sliding velocity between two surfaces. Ultrasonic vibrations are typically generated by a piezoelectric actuator. Relative to the macroscopic velocity, the vibrations can be longitudinal, transverse, or perpendicular. Often considered as a purely interfacial effect, ultrasonic lubrication is in fact a system phenomenon incorporating the dynamics of the actuator, sliding surfaces, and surrounding structure. This article presents a dynamic system model for ultrasonic lubrication configured in perpendicular mode, as experimentally measured with a modified pin-on-disc tribometer. The framework includes a lumped-parameter, dynamic model for the tribometer, an electromechanical model for the piezoelectric transducer used to generated the ultrasonic vibrations in the tribometer, and a "cube" model for the contact mechanics between asperities. Electrical impedance, system vibrations, and friction reduction are examined. Results show a strong match between experiments and simulations with errors lower than 10%. A parametric study is conducted to investigate the influence of driving voltage, macroscopic velocity, driving frequency, and signal waveform on ultrasonic friction reduction.
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