Numerical analysis of a slider bearing with a heterogeneous slip/no-slip surface

The behavior of a fluid-film bearing depends on the boundary conditions at the interfaces between the liquid and the solid bearing surfaces. For almost all solid surfaces, the no-slip boundary condition applies. However, a number of researchers have recently found that slip can occur with specially engineered surfaces. These include molecularly smooth surfaces and surfaces with micron-scale patterns. By constructing an engineered heterogeneous surface on which slip occurs in certain regions and is absent in others, the flow in the liquid film of a bearing can be altered, and such characteristics as load support and friction can be improved. In the present study, a numerical analysis of a slider bearing with such an engineered slip/no-slip surface is analyzed. Slip is assumed to occur when a critical shear stress is exceeded and follows the Navier relation. The results show that with a critical shear stress of zero, a significant increase in load support and decrease in friction can be achieved with an appropriate surface pattern. With nonzero values of critical shear stress, an instability occurs over a range of speeds. At speeds above this range, the bearing behaves similar to the case with zero critical shear stress, while below this range it behaves like a conventional bearing.