Investigation of oil film characteristics in slipper pairs with elliptical microtexture arrays for axial piston pumps

Purpose This study aims to enhance the lubrication performance and operational reliability of axial piston pumps by investigating the influence of elliptical microtexture arrays on the oil film characteristics of slipper pairs. Design/methodology/approach Computational fluid dynamics is used to analyze the behavior of the oil film by constructing a sector-shaped fluid domain model of the slipper bottom surface. The Navier–Stokes equations are coupled with a cavitation model to simulate the oil film characteristics under various combinations of microtexture parameters. Orthogonal design and response surface methodology are adopted to explore the effects of key texture parameters. In addition, an optimization algorithm is applied to identify the optimal microtexture configuration. Findings The results indicate that appropriately designed elliptical microtextures can significantly increase the oil film’s total load-carrying capacity and reduce the friction coefficient. Moreover, a moderate level of cavitation is beneficial in preventing direct contact between the slipper and the swash plate, thus improving the lubrication performance and load-bearing capacity. Originality/value This study provides a novel insight into the design of microtexture patterns for slipper surfaces in axial piston pumps. The integrated simulation–optimization framework offers a practical approach to improving pump efficiency and component longevity through surface engineering. Peer review The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/ILT-04-2025-0165/