A study of slip position on improving the hydrodynamic lubrication performance of single-textured bearing using a mass conserving numerical approach

More and more studies have demonstrated theoretically and experimentally that the application of boundary slip as well as surface texturing can be beneficial in lubricated couples (mechanical seals, cylinder-liner contacts, and hydrodynamic bearings). However, most of studies did not consider the cavitation characteristic appropriately. This paper investigates the optimal hydrodynamic performance of single-textured bearing under cavitation effect using a mass-conserving numerical approach, aiming to help designers obtain appropriate design parameters. A modified Reynolds equation including slip is developed with consideration of the cavitation mechanism based on JFO theory. It is confirmed that adding slip at the leading edge of the single-textured contact is considered more efficient than extending the slip to the textured region with respect to the load support and friction force. The results also indicate that the slip inlet length as well as the pocket length has a huge impact on performance characteristics.