Texture-induced cavitation bubbles and friction reduction in the Elrod–Adams model

A thrust bearing consisting of an infinitely wide pad, subject to a constant load and sliding at constant speed on a runner with transverse sinusoidal textures is considered. The analysis method consists of time- and mesh-resolved simulations with a finite volume approximation of the Elrod–Adams model. Friction and clearance contours as functions of the texture depth and wavelength are built by performing more than 10,000 simulations. Conclusions are drawn for bearings of low, moderate and high conformity, unveiling basic mechanisms of friction reduction and global quantitative trends that are useful for texture selection.