Abstract:A transient elastohydrodynamic lubrication (EHL) model of inhomogeneous materials was established through introducing the surface eigendisplacement caused by the inhomogeneity into the transient EHL model.Numerical simulations were conducted by combining the finite difference method,conjugate gradient method and fast Fourier transform method,and effects of the inhomogeneity on the film thickness,pressure and subsurface stress were analyzed.Results show that,under the steady condition,the stiff inhomogeneity increases both the film pressure above its position and the subsurface stress inside itself ,while the compliant inhomogeneity exhibits the opposite trend and it causes stress concentration near the edges of the inhomogeneity.However,the effect of inhomogeneity on the film thickness is unremarkable.When the volume and position of the inhomogeneities are the same,the effects of ellipsoidal inhomogeneity on the film pressure are more significant than that of cubical inhomogeneity,but the maximum von Mises stress of the materials with the cubical inhomogeneity is more sensitive to the changes of the elastic parameters of the inhomogeneity.Under the transient condition,the film pressure and subsurface stress of the inhomogeneous materials are affected by the transient effect,showing different properties from those under the steady condition.