A comparative performance assessment of hydrostatic thrust bearings operating with electrorheological lubricant
Industrial Lubrication and Tribology
ISSN: 0036-8792
Article publication date: 21 July 2022
Issue publication date: 8 August 2022
Abstract
Purpose
An electrorheological (ER) fluid comprises dielectric particles suspended in an insulating viscous medium. ER lubricants are considered smart lubricants. They have been applied in hydraulic valves, power transmission devices and damping systems. The purpose of this study is to investigate the performance of hydrostatic thrust bearing operating with ER lubricant.
Design/methodology/approach
Reynold’s equation was used to model the flow of the ER lubricant in the bearing. The continuous Bingham model was used to express the viscosity of the ER lubricant as a function of yielding stress, applied electric field and shear strain rate. The Reynolds equation is solved using the finite element method (weighted residual approach) to compute the film pressure as a primary variable and the lubricant flow rate, load-carrying capacity, stiffness and damping parameters as associated performance indices.
Findings
The effects of the pocket shape, compensating elements and ER lubricant on the bearing performance were investigated. The application of ER lubricant significantly enhanced the load-carrying capacity (48.2%), stiffness (49.8%) and damping (4.95%) of the bearings. Circular and triangular pocket bearings with constant-flow valves have been reported to provide better steady-state and rotor-dynamic performances, respectively.
Originality/value
This study presents the effect of an ER lubricant on the rotor-dynamic performance of hydrostatic thrust bearings with different pocket shapes.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
Ethical compliance: All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.
This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.
Plain language summary: An ER fluid comprises dielectric particles suspended in an insulating viscous medium. ER lubricants are considered smart lubricants. In this study, the use of an ER lubricant for hydrostatic thrust bearings was theoretically investigated using the finite element method. The application of ER lubricant significantly enhanced the load-carrying capacity, stiffness and damping capabilities of the bearings.
Citation
Singh, A.K., Kumar, V., Singh, S.J., Sharma, N. and Choudhary, D. (2022), "A comparative performance assessment of hydrostatic thrust bearings operating with electrorheological lubricant", Industrial Lubrication and Tribology, Vol. 74 No. 7, pp. 892-900. https://doi.org/10.1108/ILT-01-2022-0034
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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