Influences of Sharkskin Texture on Lubrication Performance of Elastic Bearing Friction Pairs

Inspired by the shark skin shield scale structure and the excellent elasticity of shark skin, an elastic texture composed of the arc grooves and the rectangular convex structure evenly arranged in the lower layer is constructed to improve the lubrication performance of the friction pair. Under different geometric parameters and speeds, the elastic deformation, stress distribution, friction coefficient, and oil film bearing capacity of the friction pair are compared to analyze the influence of sharkskin texture on the lubrication performance. Firstly, the fluid–solid coupled method establishes a 3D simulation model of the elastic hydrodynamic lubrication. Additionally, the elastomeric bearing specimens with sharkskin bionic texture are fabricated using 3D printing technology, and visualization experiments are performed to validate the simulation results. During the sliding friction process, the shark skin texture can appropriately intensify elastic deformation and uniform overall stress distribution. With the increase in the dimensionless width of the rectangular convex structures, the overall elastic deformation intensifies, the bearing capacity of the oil film thickens, and the friction coefficient decreases. In this study, when the depth-width ratio of the arc groove is 0.1 and the dimensionless width of the rectangular convex structures is 0.125, the friction coefficient of the elastic bearing is the minimum, and the maximum reduction percentage is about 15.3%.