Thermohydrostatic rheological study of orifice compensated asymmetric hole-entry hybrid journal bearings

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to describe the static performance characteristics of orifice compensated hole-entry hybrid journal bearing considering the combined influence of rise in temperature and non-Newtonian behavior of the lubricant. The required governing equations have been solved using the finite element method and a suitable iterative technique. The non-Newtonian lubricant has been assumed to follow the cubic shear stress law. The thermohydrostatic (THS) rheological performance of asymmetric hole-entry hybrid journal bearing configurations are studied. The computed results indicate that variation of viscosity due rise in temperature and non-Newtonian behavior of the lubricant affects the performance of asymmetric hole-entry hybrid journal bearing system quite significantly.

Design/methodology/approach

The THS rheological solution of a hole-entry hybrid journal bearing system requires the simultaneous solution of Reynolds equation, 3D energy equation and 3D conduction equation along with appropriate boundary conditions. In present study an iterative numerical solution scheme is used to establish pressure and temperature fields in the lubricant fluid-film.

Findings

The computed results indicate that variation of viscosity due rise in temperature and non-Newtonian behavior of the lubricant affects the performance of asymmetric hole-entry hybrid journal bearing system quite significantly.

Originality/value

The available literature concerning the orifice compensated asymmetric hole-entry hybrid journal bearings indicates that the thermal effects together with non-Newtonian behavior of lubricant due to additives mixed in the lubricants have been ignored in the analysis so as to obviate the mathematical complexity. The bearing performance characteristics have been presented considering the combined influence of rise in temperature and non-Newtonian behavior of the lubricant for asymmetric bearing configurations.

Citation

Garg, H.C. and Kumar, V. (2013), "Thermohydrostatic rheological study of orifice compensated asymmetric hole-entry hybrid journal bearings", Industrial Lubrication and Tribology, Vol. 65 No. 6, pp. 369-378. https://doi.org/10.1108/ILT-10-2012-0112