Film height optimization of dynamically loaded hydrodynamic slider bearings

A method is presented to determine the optimal surface shape distribution for a hydrodynamic slider bearing. This is the surface shape distribution that is able to carry a prescribed load while maintaining a maximum separation between the surfaces. This method is first derived for a bearing with constant load and sliding speed. It is subsequently extended for a bearing with periodic load and sliding speed. Results for slider bearings with different shapes, loads and speeds are presented. It is shown that the numerical procedure developed in this paper is numerically more efficient than a reference optimization method.