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Steady-state compressible isothermal lubrication problems are analyzed by the p-version finite element formulation in conjunction with the Newton-Raphson iteration procedure. Test examples confirm that this is an effective formulation for solving finite width bearing problems, and that, even for high bearing number (Λx > 1000) and coarse mesh situations, numerical solutions are accurate and converge rapidly.

This paper presents a p-version finite element formulation for incompressible lubrication analyses where the pressure field can be of any arbitrary polynomial of order p. The formulation ensures the C° continuity between mating element boundaries. Numerical examples are provided to demonstrate the simplicity of modeling and the accuracy of the formulation.