A Study of Dynamically Loaded Finite Journal Bearings in Mixed Lubrication Using a Transient Thermohydrodynamic Analysis

A transient analysis of dynamically loaded finite journal bearings in mixed lubrication is made by solving the modified generalized Reynolds equation, 2-D energy equation in the oil, and heat conduction equation in the journal simultaneously including mass conserving cavitation. ISOADI (isothermal shaft and adiabatic bushing inner surface) thermal boundary condition is used. Journal temperature is treated as quasi-steady over one loading cycle. Two kinds of contact model are used. Numerical solutions using the finite difference method are presented. Results shows that the bearing behavior is closely tied to the roughness texture and topography, asperity contact load, bearing geometry, and operating conditions.     

An Original Definition of the Profile of Compliant Foil Journal Gas Bearings: Static and Dynamic Analysis

This article deals with a numerical analysis of the static and dynamic performance of a compliant journal gas bearing. The common approach found in foil bearing literature consists in calculating the carrying capacity for a given shaft position. In this study the external load is fixed (magnitude and direction) and the related shaft position is investigated. Nevertheless, a rigid profile, able to support high imposed loads, is no longer valid if one considers that the bearing becomes compliant. An original calculation method of the initial profile considering rigid surfaces is proposed to overcome this problem. The prediction of nonlinear dynamic behavior, i.e., stability and response to external excitation, is investigated. Finally, a viscous damping model is introduced into the dynamic model in order to obtain the amount of structural damping necessary to increase the stability of the compliant journal gas bearing.     

Measurement of Cage and Pocket Friction in a Ball Bearing for Use in a Simulation Program

Few measurements have ever been made of the drag forces arising in a ball bearing due to viscous friction of the balls rotating in the cage pockets and the cage rotating inside the raceway. This paper reports measurements of both these sources of friction on simulations of just one bearing, but the data are compared with general analytical expressions for predicting the friction, and agreement is good. Finally, the data for the ball/pocket friction are compared against a theoretical model based on simple viscous shear and are shown to be in excellent agreement.     

Load Capacity for Adiabatic Finite-Width Plane Slider Bearings in the Turbulent Thermohydrodynamic Regime

A Navier-Stokes based model developed using the Legendre collocation method is used to analyze turbulent plane slider bearings with wide ranges of convergence ratio, slenderness ratio, mean Reynolds number, and a parameter characterizing the viscosity variation. The load-capacity formulations are established for turbulent isothermal and turbulent thermohydrodynamic bearings. With the equations provided in this study, designers can quickly determine the load capacity without extensive computation.     

Calculated Performance of Non-Newtonian Lubricants in Finite Width Journal Bearings

A numerical procedure has been developed for the calculation of the performance of non-Newtonian, polymer-thickened lubricants in finite width journal bearings. Such oils were found to act as if they had averaged “anisotropic viscosities,” i.e., different viscosities in the circumferential and side leakage directions, even though the viscosity was taken to have one definite value, a function of the resultant shear stress, at each point in the oil film. Overall, polymer oils carried less load at a given eccentricity, gave less friction and a flatter pressure distribution than mineral oils of the same low shear viscosities. By analogy with the previously calculated infinite width case, which gave similar results, it is expected that the flatter viscosity temperature slope of the polymer oils will compensate for their apparent viscosity decrease. The program has also been adapted to “natural” boundary conditions, which improve upon the delineation of the cavitation region on the inlet side of the bearing.     

Load Capacity Estimation of Foil Air Journal Bearings for Oil-Free Turbomachinery Applications

This paper introduces a simple “Rule of Thumb” (ROT) method to estimate the load capacity of foil air journal bearings, which are self-acting compliant-surface hydrodynamic bearings being considered for Oil-Free turbomachinery applications such as gas turbine engines. The ROT is based on first principles and data available in the literature and it relates bearing load capacity to the bearing size and speed through an empirically based load capacity coefficient, D. It is shown that load capacity is a linear function of bearing surface velocity and bearing projected area. Furthermore, it was found that the load capacity coefficient, D, is related to the design features of the bearing compliant members and operating conditions (speed and ambient temperature). Early bearing designs with basic or “first generation” compliant support elements have relatively low load capacity. More advanced bearings, in which the compliance of the support structure is tailored, have load capacities up to five times those of simpler designs. The ROT enables simplified load capacity estimation for foil air journal bearings and can guide development of new Oil-Free turbomachinery systems.     

Improvement in Dynamic Characteristics of Circular Journal Bearings by Means of Longitudinal Microgrooves

Longitudinal microgrooves were assumed on the circular journal bearings and static and dynamic characteristics were investigated by solving the modified Reynolds equation for a rough bearing surface. It was found that the dynamic characteristics of the journal bearings were improved by longitudinal microgrooves or truncated micro-grooves on the bearing surface while the static characteristics, such as load-carrying capacity and friction coefficients, were not changed by the microgrooves. Calculations regarding the linear stability of a symmetrical rotor supported by two journal bearings were also carried out and it was found that the stable region was expanded on the stability chart by microgrooves.     

Effect of Surface Roughness on Hydrodynamic Lubrication of Slider Bearings

The effect of surface roughness on the performance of hydrodynamic slider bearings is studied. A generalized form of surface roughness characterized by a stochastic random variable with non-zero mean, variance and skewness is assumed to define the bearing surface topography. Various film shapes such as: plane slider, exponential, secant and hyperbolic are considered. The results are obtained for the general lubricant film shape in integral form which are numerically computed for the shapes under consideration. The results are presented both graphically as well as in tabular form. The performance of a rough bearing can be considered in terms of an identical smooth bearing with an equivalent film thickness. It is observed, for the lubricant film shapes under consideration, that the increasing positive values of α, σ and ε decrease the load carrying capacity, frictional force and temperature rise while it increases the coefficient of friction. Increasing positive values of α and ε shift the center of pressure towards the outlet edge. For negative values of α, the increasing value reverses the trend of the effect on performance characteristics which is in conformity with the physical aspects of the problem. A similar trend is observed in case of the effect of negative values of ε. Thus, a negatively skewed surface roughness modifies the performance of the slider bearings whereas the performance of a bearing suffers on account of positively skewed surface roughness. Moreover, it is noticed that in the case of exponential and hyperbolic slider bearings the effect of increasing values of σ is more pronounced whereas in case of plane slider and secant shaped slider this effect is marginal.     

Properties and Performance of Gas-Expanded Lubricants in Tilting Pad Journal Bearings

Lubricants enable proper function and reduce friction in rotating machinery, but they can also contribute to power loss and heat buildup. Gas-expanded lubricants (GELs) have been proposed as tunable mixtures of lubricant and CO₂ under pressure with properties such as viscosity that can be controlled directly in response to changing environmental or rotordynamic conditions. In this work, experimental results of GEL viscosity, gas diffusivity, and thermal conductivity were combined with high-pressure phase equilibrium data to understand how these mixtures will behave in tilting pad journal bearings under a range of industry-relevant high-speed conditions. Simulations were carried out using the experimental data as inputs to a thermoelastohydrodynamic model of tilting pad journal bearing performance. Viscosity could be easily tuned by controlling the composition of the GEL and the effect on bearing efficiency was appreciable, with 14–46% improvements in power loss. This trend held for a range of lubricant chemistries with polyalkylene glycols, polyalpha olefins, and a polyol ester tested in this work. Diffusivity, which drives how readily CO₂ and lubricants form homogenous mixtures, was found to be a function of the viscosity of the synthetic lubricant, with more viscous lubricants having a lower diffusivity than less viscous formulations. Model results for a bearing in a pressurized housing suggested that cavitation would be minimal for a range of speed conditions. Other bearing parameters, such as eccentricity, temperature, and minimum film thickness were relatively unchanged between conventionally lubricated and GEL-lubricated bearings, suggesting that the efficiency improvements could be achieved with few performance tradeoffs.     

Influence of Mixed-Lubrication and Rough Elastic-Plastic Contact on the Performance of Small Fluid Film Bearings

A previously developed deterministic elastohydrodynamic (EHD) numerical model for small fluid film bearings functioning in the mixed lubrication regime is extended in this work by considering the rough contact. Several simplifying hypotheses are made: the shaft is considered rigid and smooth, turning at low speeds (isothermal regime), and the pad is assumed to have an elastic-perfectly-plastic behavior. The Reynolds equation is solved on a very fine mesh and the elasto-plastic pad deformation caused by the hydrodynamic pressure is taken into account. A deterministic active set-based method is used for determining the contact pressure, the contact extent, and the corresponding deformation. The results are presented for a partial journal bearing configuration, with a linear shaft velocity of 0.47 m/s under specific pressures varying up to 50 MPa. Two pad materials are considered, and the lubricant is either isoviscous or piezoviscous oil. The simulation results, presented as a function of the bearing specific pressure, include eccentricity, the film thickness, the friction torques, the contact extent, etc. Stribeck curves showing the evolution of the friction coefficient in the hydrodynamic and mixed lubrication regimes are also discussed.     

Influence of Journal Speed and Load on the Static Operating Characteristics of a Tilting-Pad Journal Bearing with Ball-and-Socket Pivots

Results are described for experiments aimed at determining the effects of increased speed and load on ball-and-socket pivots in tilting-pad journal bearings. Experimental measurements of journal static operating position were made for a 70-mm (2.75-in.), five-pad tilting-pad journal bearing with ball-and-socket pivots. Testing consisted of journal rotational speeds from 1650 to 7840 rpm and bearing static loads as high as 4.45 kN (1000 lbs). These speeds and loads were sufficient to attain a range of heat generation and pivot thermal growths. Results showed that at low speeds substantial cross-coupling effects were present. However, with increased heat generation at elevated speeds and loads, these cross-coupling effects were significantly reduced.     

Thermoelastohydrodynamic Analysis of Fixed Geometry Thrust Bearings Including Runner Deformation

A thermoelastohydrodynamic theory for the analysis of sector thrust bearings is presented. The analysis includes the generalized Reynolds equation and a fully elliptic three-dimensional energy equation in the film. In addition, full three-dimensional heat transfer is allowed in the pad while axisymmetric conduction is allowed in the runner. Three-dimensional elastic deformation due to mechanical and thermal loading is allowed in the pad while axisymmetric mechanical elasticity is allowed in the runner. The performance of a parallel tapered-land thrust bearing including runner deformation effects is analyzed as a function of different models. It is seen that mechanical deformation of the pad affects the operating characteristics only slightly while thermal deformation of the pad can cause large increases in operating temperature. The runner deformation effects can include a reduction of the maximum film temperature at slight deformation or a large increase in film temperature at the inner radius of the pad at larger deformations.     

Load Capacity for Adiabatic Infinitely Wide Plane Slider Bearings in the Turbulent Thermohydrodynamic Regime

A two-dimensional Navier-Stokes-based model developed using the Legendre collocation method is used to analyze turbulent plane slider bearings with wide ranges of bearing configuration, mean Reynolds number, and a parameter characterizing the viscosity variation. The load-capacity formulations are established for turbulent isothermal and turbulent thermohydrodynamic bearings. With the equations provided in this study, designers can quickly determine the load capacity without extensive computation.     

Numerical Simulation of the Influence of the Bulges around Laser Surface Textures on the Tribological Performance

To improve the tribological performance of mating surfaces such as journal bearings, dimples with different shapes were introduced through laser surface texturing. In laser surface texturing processes, bulges are always induced around the dimples and may influence the tribological performance of the surface. In this article, the influence of the bulges on the tribological performance of a journal bearing is numerically investigated. Variations in both the friction coefficient and the eccentricity ratio of a journal bearing with the width and height of the bulges are studied. The influence of the radius of the dimples on the tribological performance of a journal bearing is also investigated. Results show that the friction coefficient increases with both the width and the height of bulges in the case of journal bearing under light and moderate loading conditions, which is in accord with the experimental results in previous works. The linear variation in the friction coefficient with the height of the bulges indicates that the wear rate of the bulges may be investigated by monitoring the friction coefficient. The abnormality of friction coefficient variation with the width of the bulges in the case of heavy loading condition indicates that introducing the bulges is an effective approach for reasonable tribological performance. From the results for the influence of the dimple radius, it can be concluded that although the introduction of dimples can improve the tribological performance, it also has some disadvantages such as decreasing the load-carrying capacity.     

An Investigation of the Steady-State Performance of a Pivoted Shoe Journal Bearing with ISO VG 32 and VG 68 Oils

This article presents a report on an investigation into the performance characteristics of a steadily loaded pivoted shoe journal (PSJ) bearing that is lubricated with ISO VG 32 and VG 68 oils. The article describes a testing machine on which the experimental investigation was performed. Measurements of shaft torque, pad temperature distributions, oil inlet and outlet temperatures, oil flow rate, and eccentricity have all been recorded as functions of load and speed. The experimental results from both test oils are presented in graphical form and are compared with theoretical predictions obtained from the author's computer model of the PSJ bearing. These results showed that the thicker ISO VG 68 oil provided thicker oil films. However, it also had higher bearing temperatures and power losses. A good correlation between the theoretical and experimental results has been found. Theoretical analysis of the bearing friction losses indicate that shear losses predominate and churning losses account for approximately 20% of the total losses.     

The Stability Margin of a Roughened Hole-Entry Hybrid Journal Bearing System

The present work describes a theoretical investigation into the effect of surface roughness on the stability margin of an orifice-compensated, hole-entry hybrid journal bearing system. A modified form of the average Reynolds equation is used for the solution of a lubricant flow field in the clearance space of a rough journal bearing system. The effects of surface roughness parameter (Λ), variance ratio (V?_rj), and the surface orientations (γ) on the bearing flow, load-carrying capacity, and stability threshold speed margin are studied. The study indicates that the bearing configurations having surface roughness on one of the opposing surfaces (stationary or moving roughness) show an opposite trend between stability threshold speed margin and load-carrying capacity. However, the bearing configurations having transverse- and isotropic-type roughness patterns on both bearing and journal surfaces provide an improved value of both stability threshold speed margin and load-carrying capacity only when the surface roughness has a variance ratio value between 0.49 and 0.59 for the transverse roughness pattern and between 0.59 and 0.84 for the isotropic roughness pattern.     

The Behavior of the Centrally Pivoted Thrust Bearing Pad with Hydrostatic Recesses Pressurized by a Constant-Rate Flow

The tilting behavior of the centrally pivoted, externally pressurized tilting thrust pad is investigated. The pressure distribution in the oil film is obtained by solving the Reynolds' equation which takes into account the external pressurization induced by a constant-rate flow. The relation between the size of the hydrostatic recess and the tilt angle of the pad is described. Calculations show that a pad with pressure recesses may have a negative tilt angle, depending on the size of the recess. The pressure variation around the hydrostatic pressure recess causes the moment to force the pad to tilt backward. At high shaft rotational speeds, the pad tilts backward too much and eventually fails to support the load. The hydrostatic pressure recess that is utilized to avoid the metal contact may cause this. The result was confirmed by experiments.     

Investigation of Oil Additives for Boundary Lubrication of Railroad Journal Bearings

The boundary friction properties of the lubricated system of steel sliding on lead-base babbitt were investigated as a phase of the Association of American Railroads' sponsored project on freight car hot boxes. A friction pendulum was developed for determining the coefficients of boundary friction as a function of temperature with the specified metals lubricated with various lube oil additive blends.

A group of general relationships dealing with additives for the steel-babbitt system was developed. It is concluded that the extreme pressure agents containing sulfur or chlorine are generally unsuited for railroad journal bearing use. Lubricity additives which function by simple physical adsorption were found to be ineffective at moderate or high temperatures existing in railroad operations. Those lubricity additives which chemisorb to metal surfaces and form a close-packed layer were found to be effective antifriction agents.     

运行过程中转速变化时可倾瓦推力轴承油膜温度瞬态变化规律的实验研究

本文实验研究了可倾瓦推力轴承在运行过程中的不同载荷下、不同升速时间下从起始转速８００ｒ／ｍｉｎ升到截止转速５０００ｒ／ｍｉｎ时油腊温度和油膜厚度变化值的瞬态变化规律。实验时,在瓦块进油、出油边及油腊与瓦块接触面上布置了若干根铜－康铜热电偶和电涡流传感器。实验表明大运行过程中。转速升高时,不同的升速时间对油膜温度、进油边温度、出油边温度以及油腊厚度变化的影响基本相同;不同载荷对油膜温度、进油边温度以     

On Deformation Friction and Interface Shear Stress in Viscoelastic-Elastic Layered System under a Moving Load

An investigation is made of the physical behavior of a viscoelastic-elastic layered system under the influence of a moving load. It is restricted to a quasi-stationary case within the plane strain theory, and the viscoelastic material is represented by a standard linear model in shear. The quasi-stationary nature of the surface deformation and interface shear stress are studied. The surface deformation is correlated with the coefficient of deformation friction through a newly developed criterion.