Tribological effects of a rough surface bearing using an average flow analysis with a contact model of asperities

To evaluate the effects of surface roughness for a slider bearing operating under partial or boundary lubrication, a new approach with both stochastic and contact characteristics is proposed. It has become important to study the phenomenon of asperity contact in bearings because the growth of contact area under heavy load conditions induces severe changes in their performance. In this study, average flow factors derived according to Patir and Cheng were used and a model for multi-asperities contact was incorporated to calculate the tribological performance of a bearing with random surface roughness. An analysis using the modified Reynolds equation with both the average flow model and the contact model of asperities was conducted and compared with previous findings. The results showed that the influence of roughness parameters on friction and load capacity increased rapidly upon application of asperities contact.