On the optimal control of minimum film thickness

The present paper is concerned with the study of controlling the motion of a bearing so that the thin film of lubricant separating it from its container will have the largest possible thickness. Explicit equations are derived, and the control problem is solved explicitly in some simple cases.The authors thank Dr. S. M. Rohde, Manager, Systems Analysis and Simulation Department, General Motors System Engineering Center, for many valuable discussions about this problem.