A cfd design of engineered surface for tribological performance improvements in hydraulic pumps

In the present paper the preliminary results of the potentialities that surface texturing has in improving the coupling of lubricated surfaces in relative motion is presented. This kind surface engineering requires careful design of the geometry to obtain relevant improvements; therefore, it is useful to study in detail the behavior of the fluid confined between the coupled surfaces by means of CFD analysis. The purpose of this research is to study the effect of dimples created on one of the two coupled surfaces and to observe the variation of tribological properties as their principal design parameters vary, such as dimple shape, size and spatial distribution. Furthermore, simulations have been carried out with different sliding velocities and fluid temperatures to analyze the effects that these variables have on the tribological performance of the textured surface. The simulations also consider the presence of cavitation and the influence of this phenomenon on the overall behavior of the textured surface is evaluated.