Investigation the combined effects of wear and turbulent on the performance of hydrodynamic journal bearing operating with couple stress fluids

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the combined effect of wear and turbulence on the performance of a hydrodynamic journal bearing operating under Newtonian and couple stress fluids (CSF). Design/methodology/approach The analysis consists of a modified Reynolds equation of incompressible thin viscous films, and the film thickness model taking into account the wear effect. The governing equation was solved numerically using the finite difference approach. Findings The effect of both the wear parameter and the local Reynolds number on the performance characteristics of bearing has been presented and discussed. The obtained results observed that the characteristics of the intact and worn bearing in turbulent and laminar have been enhanced due to the non-Newtonian fluid (CSF) effect. Also, the results display that bearing worn and the turbulent regime cannot be neglected in calculating the performance characteristics of the bearing lubricated with Newtonian and non-Newtonian fluids. The results achieved from this study, specify that the bearing characteristics are significantly affected by these effects. Originality/value The paper investigates the behavior of hydrodynamic bearings considering different aspects simultaneously is interesting, and the application meets the current needs of improvement in modeling hydrodynamic bearings under different conditions.