A pseudospectral-finite difference analysis of an infinitely wide slider bearing with thermal and inertial effects

A pseudospectral-finite difference solution of the thermal hydraulic flow through an infinitely wide convergent slider bearing configuration is presented. The model includes both thermal and inertial effects. The approach combines a collocation technique with orthogonal polynomial representations of velocities, temperatures and property variations through the thickness of the lubricant film with finite difference representations of derivatives in the streamwise direction. The technique is motivated by the need for general analyses of fluid film bearings which incorporate the before-mentioned effects. Results will be presented that separately demonstrate inertial and thermal effects in laminar flows.