Abstract
Understanding the influence of surface properties (roughness, grooves, discrete textures/dimples) on the performance of hydrodynamically lubricated contacts has been the aim of numerous studies. A variety of different numerical models have been employed by many researchers in order to find optimal texturing parameters (shape, size, distribution) for best performance enhancement in terms of load carrying capacity, film thickness, friction and wear. However, the large number of different modeling techniques and complexity in the patterns make finding the optimum texture a challenging task and have led to contrary conclusions. This article outlines the research effort on surface texturing worldwide, reviews the key findings and, in particular, provides a comparative summary of different modeling techniques for fluid flow, cavitation and micro-hydrodynamic effects.
Highlights
Surface textures have been widely reported to be capable of enhancing the performance of journal and thrust bearings and other applications
Optimal texturing parameters for best performance enhancement highly depend on the type of contact and the operating conditions and if designed wrong, textures may even become detrimental
This means that profitability and effectiveness of surface texturing have to be evaluated for a given application and range of operating conditions
Summary
Surface textures have been widely reported to be capable of enhancing the performance of journal and thrust bearings and other applications. Understanding the influence of surface properties (roughness, grooves, textures/dimples) on the performance of hydrodynamically lubricated contacts has been the aim of numerous theoretical and experimental studies. The large number of different modelling techniques and complexity in the patterns makes finding the optimum texture a challenging task and has led to contrary conclusions. Worldwide research effort on surface texturing over the last 50 years: (a) Number of publications per year and (b) Research Method. A consistent understanding of the phenomena involved and standard theoretical methods will improve and facilitate future research and the industrial application of this technology. This work outlines the research effort on surface texturing worldwide, reviews the key findings and, in particular, provides a comparative study of different modelling techniques and numerical methods commonly used to predict the performance of textured surfaces
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