Sliding lubricated anisotropic rough surfaces

Abstract

The object of this paper is to study the effects of lubricant film flow, pressurized and sheared between two parallel rough surfaces in sliding motion. The influence of microscopic surface roughness on lubricant film flow macroscopic behavior is described through five nondimensional parameters called flow factors. These macroscopic transport parameters are related to the local geometry of apertures and surfaces. Short- and long-range-correlated surface roughnesses display very different macroscopic behaviors when surfaces are close to contact. These behaviors are related to underlying surface roughness parameters such as the correlation length and the self-affine Hurst exponent. The problem is numerically studied, and results are compared to some analytical asymptotic results.