Thermal effects in externally pressurized porous conical bearings with variable viscosity

Abstract

The present paper analyzes the porous constant gap externally pressurized conical bearings when the slider is rotating with uniform angular velocity. The lubricant is assumed to be incompressible, and its viscosity varies exponentially with temperature. The lubricant inertia due to rotation of the slider is considered but the convective inertia is neglected. The energy equation is used to determine the temperature generated in the lubricant film. The governing system of coupled momentum and energy equation is solved numerically, using finite difference method, to determine various bearing characteristics. It is observed that for the surfaces which are highly porous the inlet pressure decreases remarkably, resulting in reduced load capacity of the bearing, and the torque remains unaffected with respect to variation in the permeability.