Homogenization in Hydrodynamic Lubrication: Microscopic Regimes and Re-Entrant Textures

Abstract

The form of the Reynolds-type equation which governs the macroscopic mechanics of hydrodynamic lubrication interfaces with a microscopic texture is well-accepted. The central role of the ratio of the mean film thickness to the texture period in determining the flow factor tensors that appear in this equation had been highlighted in a pioneering theoretical study through a rigorous two-scale derivation (Bayada and Chambat, 1988, “New Models in the Theory of the Hydrodynamic Lubrication of Rough Surfaces,” ASME J. Tribol., 110, pp. 402–407). However, the resulting homogenization theory still remains to be numerically investigated. For this purpose, after a comprehensive review of the literature, three microscopic regimes of lubrication will be outlined, and the transition between these three regimes for different texture types will be extensively demonstrated. In addition to conventional textures, representative re-entrant textures will also be addressed.