The Static and Dynamic Characteristics of a Two-Lobe Journal Bearing Lubricated with Couple-Stress Fluid

Static and dynamic characteristics of two-lobe journal bearings lubricated with couple-stress fluids are studied. The load-carrying capacity, the stiffness and damping coefficients, the non-dimensional critical mass, and the whirl ratio are determined for various values of the couple stress parameter l. The results obtained are compared with the characteristics of two-lobe bearings lubricated with Newtonian fluids. It is found that the effect of the couple stress parameter is very significant on the performance of the journal bearing. The stability is improved compared to bearings lubricated with Newtonian fluids.