This work relates to previous studies concerning the asymptotic behavior of Stokes flow in a narrow gap between two surfaces in relative motion. It is assumed that one of the surfaces is rough, with small roughness wavelength μ, so that the film thickness h becomes rapidly oscillating. Depending on the limit of the ratio h/μ, denoted as λ, three different lubrication regimes exist: Reynolds roughness (λ = 0), Stokes roughness (0 < λ < ∞), and high-frequency roughness (λ = ∞). In each regime, the pressure field is governed by a generalized Reynolds equation, whose coefficients (so-called flow factors) depend on λ. To investigate the accuracy and applicability of the limit regimes, we compute the Stokes flow factors for various roughness patterns by varying the parameter λ. The results show that there are realistic surface textures for which the Reynolds roughness is not accurate and the Stokes roughness must be used instead.

We study the asymptotic behavior of pressure-driven Stokes flow in a thin domain. By letting the thickness of the domain tend to zero we derive a generalized form of the classical Reynolds–Poiseuille law, i.e. the limit velocity field is a linear function of the pressure gradient. By prescribing the external pressure as a normal stress condition, we recover a Dirichlet condition for the limit pressure. In contrast, a Dirichlet condition for the velocity yields a Neumann condition for the limit pressure.

We consider a problem that models fluid flow in a thin domain bounded by two surfaces. One of the surfaces is rough and moving, whereas the other is flat and stationary. The problem involves two small parameters ϵ and μ that describe film thickness and roughness wavelength, respectively. Depending on the ratio λ=ϵ/μ, three different flow regimes are obtained in the limit as both of them tend to zero. Time-dependent equations of Reynolds type are obtained in all three cases (Stokes roughness, Reynolds roughness and high-frequency roughness regime). The derivations of the limiting equations are based on formal expansions in the parameters ϵ and μ.

We develop a mathematical model in hydrodynamic lubrication that takes into account three phenomena: cavitation, surface roughness and compressibility of the fluid. Like the classical Reynolds equation, the model is mass preserving. We compute the homogenized coefficients in the case of unidirectional roughness. A one-dimensional problem is also solved explicitly.