Viscoelastic thin-film lubrication in finite-width channels

Lubricant viscoelasticity arises due to a finite polymer relaxation time () which can be exploited to enhance lubricant performance. In applications such as bearings, gears, biological joints, etc. , where the height-to-length ratio (H₀ / ₓ) is small and the shear due to the wall velocity (U₀) is high, a simplified two-dimensional computational analysis across the channel length and height reveals a finite increase in the load-carrying capacity of the film purely due to polymer elasticity. In channels with a finite length-to-width ratio, a, the spanwise effects can be significant, but the resulting mathematical model is computationally intensive. In this work, we propose simpler reduced-order models, namely via (i) a first-order perturbation in the Deborah number (U₀ / ₓ) and (ii) the viscoelastic Reynolds approach extended from Ahmed & Biancofiore (J. Non-Newtonian Fluid Mech. , vol. 292, 2021, 104524). We predict the variation in the net vertical force exerted on the channel walls (for a fixed film height) versus increasing viscoelasticity, modelled using the Oldroyd-B constitutive relation, and the channel aspect ratio. The models predict an increase in the net force, which is zero for the Newtonian case, versus both the Deborah number and the channel aspect ratio. Interestingly, for a fixed De, this force varies strongly between the two limiting cases (i) a 1, an infinitely wide channel, and (ii) a 1, an infinitely short channel, implying a change in the polymer response. Furthermore, we observe a different trend (i) for a spanwise-varying channel, in which a peak is observed between the two limits, and (ii) for a spanwise-uniform channel, where the largest load value is for a 1. When a is O (1), the viscoelastic response varies strongly and spanwise effects cannot be ignored.