Influence of Donut-Shaped Bump on the Hydrodynamic Lubrication of Textured Parallel Sliders

Abstract

The influence of donut-shaped bump texture on the hydrodynamic lubrication performance for parallel surfaces is presented in this paper. A mathematical equation has been applied to express the shape of three-dimensional donut-shaped bump texture. Numerical simulation of the pressure distribution of lubricant between a textured slider and a smooth, moving slider has been performed to analyze the geometrical parameters' influence on the hydrodynamic performance for textured surfaces. The numerical results show that the convex of the donut-shaped bump provides a microstep slider, which can form a convergent wedge and build up hydrodynamic pressure. Optimum values of horizontal spacing and bump height are obtained to maximize the hydrodynamic pressure. It is also noted that the average pressure increases monotonically with the increase of bump radius, but decreases with the increase of vertical spacing and dimple depth, respectively.