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The purpose of this paper is to analyze the lubrication behavior of misaligned water-lubricated polymer bearings with axial grooves.

A lubrication model considering journal misalignment, bush deformation and grooves is established. In dynamic analyses of shaft systems, bearings are usually simplified as supporting points. Thus, an approach for solving the equivalent supporting point location is presented. The influence of misalignment angle and groove number on film thickness, hydrodynamic pressure distribution, load-carrying capacity and ESP location is investigated.

As the misalignment angle increases, the location of the maximum pressure and ESP are shifted toward the down-warping end, and the load-carrying capacity of the bearing decreases. In comparison to the nine-groove bearing, the six grooves bearing has a higher load-carrying capacity and the ESP is located closer to the down-warping end for an equivalent misalignment angle.

The results of this study can be applied to marine propeller shaft systems and other systems with misaligned bearings.

A study on the lubrication behavior of misaligned water-lubricated polymer bearings with axial grooves is of significant interest to the research community.

As the companion paper of Part I, this paper aims to get more insight into the essence of lambda and to reveal its nature and role in the transition of lubrication states. Mixed lubrication (ML) model with micro-asperities contacts has been discussed in details in Part I.

Mimetic algorithm is used to get numerical solutions. Relationships between film thickness ratios and lubrication states transition with different external loads, rotating speeds, radial clearances, elastic modulus, surface hardness and roughness parameters are obtained.

The characteristic parameters of transitions from boundary lubrication (BL) to ML and ML to hydrodynamic lubrication (HL) are studied to determine how these parameters change with above factors. Finally, the essence and major influencing factors of lambda are summarized for such bearings.

In Part II, the authors believe that the paper presents for the first time: further insight into the essence of the lambda ratio, and its role in the lubrication states transition are given; the determinations of the characteristic parameters of transition from BL to ML and ML to HL are investigated for the first time; the characteristic parameters of transitions from BL to ML and ML to HL are also studied to determine how parameters (external load, rotating speed, radial clearance, elastic modulus, surface hardness and roughness parameter) change with above factors; a summary of the essence and major influencing factors of lambda for such bearings is given.

The purpose of this paper is to improve the lubrication performance of a water-lubricated polymer bearing with axial grooves, especially enlarge the minimum film thickness.

The bearing diameter is enlarged near the axial ends of the journal, with axial openings of a trumpet shape. A numerical model is developed which considers the proposed trumpet-shaped openings, bush deformation and grooves. The generatrix of the trumpet-shaped opening is assumed to be a paraboloid. Three different variations are covered, and the influences of the trumpet-shaped openings’ parameters on the bearing performance are analyzed.

The appropriate trumpet-shaped openings at the axial ends effectively increase the minimum film thickness, and the impact of trumpet-shaped openings on load carrying capacity is very small or even negligible. For the water-lubricated polymer bearing with axial grooves analyzed in this paper, the appropriate trumpet-shaped openings increase the minimum film thickness from 0.53 to 11.14 µm and decrease the load carrying capacity by 2.48 per cent.

The results of this study can be applied to marine propeller shaft systems and other systems with polymer bearings.

This paper has presented an approach for significantly increasing the minimum film thickness of a water-lubricated polymer bearing. A study on the performance improvement of water-lubricated polymer bearings with axial grooves is of significant interest to the research community.

This paper aims to provide efficient methods to calculate the friction coefficients and film thickness ratios in mixed lubrication (ML) regime for water lubricated bearings. Mathematical models consider influence of micro-asperities contacts which is based on the Gauss random distribution.

Effects of external loads, rotating speeds and radial clearances are obtained. Algorithm shown here is applied to a class of common industrial problems. Calculated Stribeck values are given and evaluated. The calculated and experimental results agree well which proves the correctness of the model.

In Part I, the authors believe that the paper presents the following for the first time: universal methods are developed for the calculation of friction coefficients and film thickness ratios (lambda) in ML regime; effects of different external loads, rotating speeds and radial clearances on friction coefficients and film thickness ratios are presented in detail; comparisons are made between the results predicted by the model and experimental results, and they agree rather well which proves the correctness of the model.

Present work successfully develops universal methods for predicting the friction coefficients and film thickness ratios.