Optimal design of the slip–texture on a journal-bearing surface

Purpose This work aims to explore the combined effects of boundary slip and texturing on hydrodynamic journal bearings and identifies optimized slip and texture patterns to improve the performance of journal bearings. Design/methodology/approach The quadratic programming technique is used to study the influence of boundary slip on the lubrication performance of a two-dimensional journal bearing. A numerical model is used to analyze the effect of the cylindrical texture shape on the characteristics of journal bearings. It is concluded that the combination of slip and texture can be an effective approach to improve the performance of hydrodynamic journal bearings. Findings The results show that there is an interfacial shear stress (perfect slip surface) and that the role of the slip regime is to reduce friction. Numerical analyses indicate that the location and size of the slip and texture zone have a large effect on journal bearings. A comparison of the distribution forms of various texture–slip combinations indicates that the full texture–slip combination can prominently reduce the load-carrying capacity and that the “forward-slip backward-texture” configuration can considerably improve the performance of journal bearings. Originality/value The combined effects of boundary slip and texture on hydrodynamic journal bearings are meticulously examined. The patterns of the slip and texture are optimized, which can substantially improve the journal bearing performance.