An iterative method for solving a free boundary problem for an infinite journal bearing

摘要

The hydrodynamic lubrication is concerned with a particular form of creeping flow between surfaces in relative motion where cavitation takes place. The determination of the cavitation area is then of a fundamental importance in order to compute the caracteristics of the mechanisms. A one-dimensional nonlinear elliptic problem is considered. The approximate solution is obtained through a process of successive approximations, where at each step the non-homogenous term of the approximated problem `search' the cavitation region.