Hydrodynamic Lubrication of Microdimple Textured Surface Using Three-Dimensional CFD

Surface texturing has been recognized to be very efficient in modifying the tribological performances of sliding surfaces. In the present article, a three-dimensional hydrodynamic lubrication model of the incompressible Newtonian fluid is proposed on the textured surface with a single spherical cap microdimple based on the full Navier-Stokes equation. The three-dimensional pressure field and velocity field of lubrication film are obtained by employing the finite volume method (FVM). The effects of geometric parameters and Reynolds number on pressure field, load-carrying capacity, friction force, and friction coefficient are investigated. Numerical simulation led the authors to conclude that the load-carrying capacity of the lubrication film is monotonously enhanced with increasing microdimple width and Reynolds number, and a reverse tendency is obtained for friction force and friction coefficient. The dimensionless optimum microdimple depth increases with the increase of the width and decreases with the increase of the Reynolds in the range of 0.80-2.00, which is responsible for the largest load-carrying capacity and the smallest friction coefficient. It has also been found that the optimum depth becomes a critical value to produce a vortex in the bottom of the dimple. Further analysis indicates that the optimum dimple depth becomes a transition of lubrication mode from hydrodynamic to mixed lubrication for a textured surface with a fixed microdimple.