On a variational inequality on elasto-hydrodynamic lubrication (Q2275519)

The authors study the problem of a deformable surface moving over a flat plane. The surfaces are separated by a small gap filled by a lubricant fluid. The mathematical model is the Reynolds variational inequality with nonlocal coefficients \[ \int_\Omega h^3(p)p'(\varphi-p)'\geq \int_\Omega h(p)p'(\varphi-p)'\;\;\forall \varphi\in K, \quad K=\{\varphi\in H^1_0(\Omega),\;\varphi\geq 0\}, \] where \(\Omega=(-1,1)\), \(p\) is the pressure of the fluid and \(h(p):=h_1+\tau(p)\) is the distance between surfaces with an initial gap \(h_1(x)\) and a given positive operator \(\tau\) defined on \(H^1_0(\Omega)\). The main result is the existence theorem. Applications to particular problems in elasto-hydrodynamic lubrication are presented.