Abstract

This paper presents a numerical study about lubricant inertia effect on thermohydrodynamic (THD) characteristics of Rayleigh step bearings running under steady, incompressible and laminar condition. To reach this goal, the set of governing equations is solved numerically with and without considering the inertia terms. The discretized forms of the momentum and energy equations are obtained by the finite volume method and solved using the Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD) technique. These equations are solved simultaneously because the dependency of lubricant viscosity with temperature. The hydrodynamic and thermal behaviors of the slider step bearings are demonstrated by presenting several figures including the lubricant pressure and temperature distributions with and without considering the fluid inertia effect. Numerical results show that inertia term has considerable effect on THD characteristics of step bearings, especially when they run with high velocity of runner surface.

Highlights

  • Hydrodynamic step bearings are widely used in industries to support axial loads efficiently

  • Discretized forms of the governing equations are obtained by the control volume method and solved by the SIMPLE algorithm

  • Numerical results show that THD characteristics of step bearings are affected by fluid inertia, and that lubricant pressure field is more affected than the lubricant temperature

Read more

Summary

Introduction

Hydrodynamic step bearings are widely used in industries to support axial loads efficiently. Many type of step bearings were theoretically studied in the 1950s by researchers in order to predict and improve their performances. M. Vakilian et al.: Mechanics & Industry 14, 275–285 (2013). Bearing length Upstream bearing length Downstream bearing length Heat capacity Friction force of bearing Upstream film thickness. Dimensionless temperature Runner velocity Velocity components u∗v∗ W xy x∗y∗. Dimensionless velocity components Load capacity of bearing Horizontal and vertical coordinates Dimensionless coordinates Greek symbols η

Methods
Results
Conclusion

Talk to us

Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have

Schedule a call

Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.