Bouncing ball lubrication

My interest in the lubrication mechanisms of a ball bouncing and impacting an oily plate brought me into contact with Professor Duncan Dowson. Our very first meeting was at a conference where we presented almost identical results. After that, in 1995, I was invited to Leeds University for a one-semester visit. I was still a PhD student and the visit helped me a lot to develop as a person and as a scientist Duncan helped me in this development through his skilful guidance and by putting me in touch with other knowledgeable people in my field. The bouncing ball problem was about understanding elastohydrodynamic lubrication (EHL) under non-steady conditions. In fact, most EHL contacts operate under non-steady conditions since load, speed and curvature often varies rapidly during the operation of machine elements such as gears, rolling bearings and cam mechanisms. In this paper, I will tell you about the bouncing ball problem and how Duncan Dowson became an important person for me.