Effect of surface roughness on the couple-stress squeeze film between a sphere and a flat plate

In this paper, a theoretical study of the effect of surface roughness on the hydrodynamic lubrication of couple-stress squeeze film between a sphere and a flat plate is presented on the basis of Christensen's stochastic theory for hydrodynamic lubrication of rough surfaces. The modified Reynolds equation accounting for the couple stresses and the surface roughness is mathematically derived. The modified Reynolds equation is solved for the fluid film pressure and the bearing characteristics, such as the load carrying capacity and the time–height relationship, are obtained. It is found that the surface roughness considerably influences the squeeze film characteristics. The load carrying capacity and squeeze film time are found to increase for an azimuthal roughness pattern as compared to the corresponding smooth case, whereas the reverse trend is observed for a radial roughness pattern.