Influence of Multiscale Roughness Patterns in Cavitated Flows: Applications to Journal Bearings

This paper deals with the coupling of two major problems in lubrication theory: cavitation phenomena and roughness of the surfaces in relative motion. Cavitation is defined as the rupture of the continuous film due to the formation of air bubbles, leading to the presence of a liquid-gas mixture. For this, the Elrod-Adams model (which is a pressure-saturation model) is classically used to describe the behavior of a cavitated thin film flow. In addition, in practical situations, the surfaces of the devices are rough, due to manufacturing processes which induce defaults. Thus, we study the behavior of the solution, when highly oscillating roughness effects on the rigid surfaces occur. In particular, we deal with the reiterated homogenization of this Elrod-Adams problem, using periodic unfolding methods. A numerical simulation illustrates the behavior of the solution. Although the pressure tends to a smooth one, the saturation oscillations are not damped. This does not prevent us from defining an equivalent homogenized saturation and highlights the anisotropic effects on the saturation function in cavitated areas.