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In this paper, an experimental simulation method was used for evaluating the tribofilm formation in rolling/sliding contact at different points in the line of action. A ball-on-disc test method was employed by which the pressure and slide to roll ratio of gear contact could be simulated. In order to reach a general conclusion, four different oils and two surface roughness were involved in the experiments. The tribofilm evolution was captured using spacer layer interferometry method, and the correlation of tribofilm with the location at the line of action was studied. Results showed that there is a threshold pressure for the tribofilm formation around which the tribofilm growth rate is maximum. Above this threshold pressure, the tribofilm formation is not stable, and the wear is dominant. Below this threshold pressure, the tribofilm growth rate rises by increasing the pressure and the gear contact is safely protected by a stable tribofilm. Graphic Abstract

In recent years, environmental issues have raised the demand to protect the environment against the pollution caused by the uncontrolled spillage of lubricating oils. One solution is using Environmentally Acceptable Lubricants (EALs), however, these oils are more expensive than the common mineral oils. The consumers require to test the oil performance using test machines but testing in real machines is costly and time-consuming. Small test machines like ball-on-disc have been previously used for friction mapping and ranking gear oils. In this paper, the friction maps are measured from 0.65 GPa to 1.25 GPa, and temperature maps are devised to experimentally simulate the gear contact along the line of action. Results illustrate that EALs can provide up to 60 % better frictional efficiency that leads to 20 oC cooler oil temperature in high-pressure contacts operating under elastohydrodynamic lubrication (EHL) regime.