Simulations of the Influence of the Heat Flux at the Shaft Surface of the Conical Slide Bearing on Its Hydrodynamic Lubrication and Operating Parameters

Abstract

Abstract The aim of this work is to investigate, how in the adopted model of hydrodynamic lubrication of a conical slide bearing, the change of the heat flux value at the bearing shaft, affects bearing operating parameters. In this research, the authors use, the known from the literature, Reynolds type equation, describing the stationary hydrodynamic lubrication process of a conical slide bearing. The analytical, solutions, that determine the components of the lubricating oil velocity vector and the equation (analytical solution of energy equation) determining the three-dimensional temperature distribution in the lubrication gap, was also adopted from previous works. In order to obtain numerical solutions, the Newton’s method was used, and the derivatives in the Reynolds type equation were approximated by the finite differences. An application of the method of subsequent approximations allowed considering the influence of temperature, pressure and shearing rate on the viscosity of lubricating oil. The considerations were performed by adopting the Reynolds condition of the hydrodynamic oil film. It was tested, how the assumed value of the heat flux on the bearing shaft surface affects the values of the obtained operating parameters, i.e. the transverse and longitudinal component of the load carrying capacity, friction force and coefficient of friction.