A free boundary problem in lubrication theory (Q1106048)

Lubrication theory yields many free boundary problems which can be analyzed using variational methods. In this paper we study one such free boundary problem concerning cavitation in porous journal bearings, that is, the case of an infinitely long porous journal bearing with a small eccentricity ratio. For this problem existence and uniqueness are proved by \textit{G. Cimatti} [Appl. Math. Optimization 3, 227-242 (1977; Zbl 0404.76036)]. Our interest is in determining properties of the free boundary. We obtain a complete characterization of the free boundary and of the region of cavitation. We show that the region of cavitation is an interval and that the free boundary consists of a single point. As a by- product of the methods of our proofs, we obtain further regularity for the solution to this problem. We also prove that the region of cavitation in this porous journal bearing is at least as large as the region of cavitation in the corresponding nonporous bearing.