Enhanced performance of optimised partially textured load bearing surfaces

Textured surfaces have been shown to provide enhanced tribological performance in a variety of contacts. Numerical analysis and optimisation methods are combined for application-oriented texture optimisation. However, an analytical approach is advantageous in providing more generic in-depth understanding of the nature of the relationships between texture parameters and objective functions, such as enhanced load carrying capacity and reduced friction. The paper outlines such an approach to obtain a set of global optimum design parameters for partially textured surfaces. The optimised results are expressed in dimensionless form, which enables their use for a variety of applications. The performance of optimised partially textured sliding surfaces is compared with the other conventional bearing geometries in their optimum state.