Convective inertia effects on the squeeze film between rectangular parallel plates

Authors: SIKIRU ADIGUN SANNI

Abstract: This paper investigates the effects of convective inertia on the lubricating characteristics of the squeeze film between parallel rectangular plates. Relaxing a simplifying assumption of the conventional lubrication theory, the paper retains some terms of the convective inertia terms of the Navier-Stokes equations, leading to a derivation of a modified Reynolds equation. The introduction of the convective inertia terms induces two inversely related dimensionless parameters, m and R (the Reynolds number), into the characteristics of the flow behavior. The dimensionless normal (or squeezing) velocity increases monotonically from the lower plate to the upper plate for given value of R. At every point of the flow space, the squeezing velocity decreases with increase in R due to an increase in the fluid's resistance to the motion of the upper plate and an increase in the rate of loss of momentum per unit volume of fluid flow. The dimensionless pressure and load capacity decrease with increase in the Reynolds number R due to an increase the kinetic energy of the fluid.

Keywords: Navier-Stokes equations, Reynolds equation, convective inertia terms, velocity, pressure, load capacity

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