A solution to the hydrodynamic lubrication of a circular point contact sliding over a flat surface with cavitation

This letter presents an analytical solution to the hydrodynamic lubrication of a circular point contact sliding over a flat surface with cavitation. The solution is found by solving the Reynolds equation with Reynolds boundary condition for cavitation. The cavitation boundary is shown to be straight lines directed 108.4° against the sliding direction. The result is experimentally verified in the limit of large values of viscosity, sliding velocity and radius of a spherical ball. The solution raises questions about the coupling between cavitation and film rupture and can be used as an independent check on the validity of numerical solutions.