Numerical Simulations of Lubricating Grease Flow in a Rectangular Channel with and without Restrictions |
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Authors: | Chiranjit Sarkar Lars G Westerberg Erik Höglund T Staffan Lundström |
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Affiliation: | 1. Division of Fluid and Experimental Mechanics, Lule? University of Technology, Lule?, Swedenchiranjit.sarkar@ltu.se;3. Division of Fluid and Experimental Mechanics, Lule? University of Technology, Lule?, Sweden;4. Division of Machine Elements, Lule? University of Technology, Lule?, Sweden |
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Abstract: | This article presents numerical simulations of the laminar flow of lubricating greases in a channel with rectangular cross section. Three greases with different consistencies (NLGI grades 00, 1, and 2) have been considered in three different configurations composed of a rectangular channel without restrictions, one rectangular step restriction, and one double-lip restriction. The driving pressure drop over the channel spans from 30 to 250 kPa. The grease rheology is described by the Herschel-Bulkley rheology model, and both the numerical code and rheology model have been validated with analytical solutions and flow measurements using micro-particle image velocimetry. |
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Keywords: | Lubricating grease flow boundary layer velocity profile rheology lubrication computational fluid dynamics (CFD) |
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