Water-lubricated Journal Bearings Research Articles

Analysis of turbulent cavitation effects on water-lubricated bearing in single screw compressors

PurposeTo guide the stable radius clearance choice of water-lubricated bearings for single screw compressors, this paper aims to analyze the effects of turbulence and cavitation on bearing performance under two conditions of specified external load and radius clearance.Design/methodology/approachA modified Reynolds equation considering turbulence and cavitation is adopted, based on the Jakobsson–Floberg–Olsson boundary condition, Ng–Pan model and turbulent factors. The equation is solved using the finite difference method and successive over-relaxation method to investigate the bearing performance.FindingsThe turbulent effect can increase the hydrodynamic pressure and cavitation. In addition, the turbulent effect can lead to an increase in the equilibrium radius clearance. The turbulent region exhibits a higher load capacity and cavitation rate. However, the increased cavitation negatively impacts the frictional coefficient and end flow rate. The impact of turbulence increases as the radius clearance decreases. As the rotating speed increases, the turbulence effect has a greater impact on the bearing characteristics.Originality/valueThe research can provide theoretical support for the design of water-lubricated journal bearings used in high-speed water-lubricated single screw compressors.Peer reviewThe peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/ILT-01-2024-0029/

Exploring magnetic properties and dynamic performance of magnetic-hydraulic double-floating journal bearing based on offset load

An innovative structural system of magnetic-hydraulic double-floating journal bearing is designed to improve the ability to resist offset loads. By considering the magnetic force to the water-lubricated journal bearing and the magnetic structure design, a force model of the innovative bearing is proposed. The magnetic force and water film force for the bearing are simulated by comparing the load-carry capacity of only water film force. Experimental results showed the load-carry capacity and stability test of the innovative bearing. The design of innovative bearing with the upper suction and lower magnetic repulsion based on the Halbach array can provide a larger supporting magnetic force. The axially non-uniform magnetic structure deployment can manipulate the changes of the magnetic force in the axial direction to hold the offset load. The test found that by comparing the traditional water-lubricated bearing, the bearing has a certain vibration suppression ability in the vertical direction. Under the test speed, the bearing stiffness hardly changes with the change of the speed, which also shows a slightly decreasing trend with the increase of the excitation frequency.

Analysis of Water-Lubricated Journal Bearings Assisted by a Small Quantity of Secondary Lubricating Medium with Navier–Stokes Equation and VOF Model

Due to the low viscosity of water, water-lubricated bearings are susceptible to significant wear and noise in demanding operating conditions. It has been demonstrated that a small quantity of secondary lubricating medium can improve the lubrication performance of water-lubricated contact surfaces and achieve the purpose of temporary risk aversion. As a further step, the feasibility of the proposed idea is experimentally validated on a water-lubricated bearing test bench. A numerical model that couples the N–S equation and the VOF model is then developed to investigate the behavior of the flow field lubricated by pure water and water with a small quantity of the secondary lubricating medium. This model provides the predictions of important quantities such as the load-carrying capacity, the secondary lubricating medium volume fraction and the contact pressure under different lubricated conditions. The results show that the secondary lubricating medium can enter into the contact region and improve the lubrication performance of water-lubricated bearings, especially at lower shaft rotational speeds. Therefore, the feasibility of our proposed idea is verified, which provides a promising approach to reduce the wear and friction of water-lubricated bearings when they encounter short-time severe working conditions.

Study on the static characteristics of high-speed water-lubricated journal bearings considering thermal and cavitation effects

The influence of thermal and cavitation effects on the static characteristics of high-speed water-lubricated journal bearings are investigated in this study. Considering the transfer of momentum and energy on the gas-liquid interface, the generalized Reynolds equation and energy equation are established. Based on the theoretical model, the bearing static characteristics are calculated and analyzed. According to the calculation results, the cavitation effect reduces bearing maximum temperature and increases bearing load-carrying capacity. The simulation results of friction power loss are overestimated under isothermal conditions. The leakage flow rate was decreased as a result of the cavitation effect.

Performance Optimization of a Multi-groove Water Lubricated Journal Bearing with Partial Slip by Taguchi Analysis

The importance of preserving the ecological balance has paved the way for developing water lubricated bearings for marine vessels and other various applications. These bearings have found widespread applications in high pressure water pumps, water-power plants and power generation stations in sea, mining industries, ships, boats and submarines. To investigate the performance envelope of a water lubricated journal bearing (WLJB) with partial slip/no slip pattern, a multi-groove bearing model is developed and analyzed using CFD in the present study. Taguchi analysis method is utilized to determine the highest influential parameter affecting the pressure distribution and load-carrying capacity of a water lubricated journal bearing. From Taguchi method, optimum values identified for design parameters such as attitude angle, groove angle, groove height and number of grooves are 60°, 9°, 7 mm and 2, respectively. For the optimum combination model, a higher load bearing capacity of 1484.5 N is attained. Approximately, 2.88 times increase in peak pressures are noted from the current optimal bearing model by comparing with previous findings. Results indicated that the number of grooves and groove angle are the most influential parameters affecting the bearing load capacity. Partial slip conditions are applied at the grooved surfaces of a bearing model designed based on the identified optimal groove parameters. Influence of varying slip intensity on bearing load capacity is analyzed using CFD simulation. Appropriate selection of slip regions and slip amplitude is found to play a major role influencing the performance of the water lubricated journal bearing.

Static Characteristics of High-Speed Water-Lubricated Journal Bearing Considering Turbulence and Cavitation Effects

Abstract The water-lubricated bearings tend to be turbulent and cavitating when running at a high speed. However, the modeling of the water-lubricated bearing considering the turbulence and cavitation effects has not been studied thoroughly. For high-speed water-lubricated journal bearings, a turbulent flow model considering cavitation effect was proposed on the basis of two-phase flow theory. The simulation was conducted to show the influence of turbulence and cavitation effects on the static characteristics of the water-lubricated journal bearing. The proposed model was validated with the test by using a self-developed experimental setup. The result shows that the turbulence effect has a great impact on static characteristics of bearing, and cavitation effect significantly affects the minimum film thickness and leakage flowrate, while the friction torque is hardly affected by the cavitation effect.

Effects of manufacturing errors and micro-groove surfaces on the static and dynamic characteristics of water-lubricated bearings

In this paper, the effects of manufacturing error and micro-groove on the static, dynamic and stability characteristics of water-lubricated journal bearings (WLJBs) are investigated. Mathematical expressions of manufacturing errors and surface micro-groove are presented, and the Reynolds equations with steady and unsteady states are calculated by using the linear perturbative method and the finite difference technology. According to the developed model, the effects of the waviness magnitude, spatial number, and phase angle for circumferential errors, as well as the concavity, convexity, and taper for axial errors on the film thickness distribution, fluid pressure distribution, bearing capacity, coefficient of friction, side leakage flow rate, attitude angle, stiffness coefficient, damping coefficient, threshold speed and whirl frequency ratio of WLJBs are evaluated. Simulation results demonstrate that fluid film thickness distribution and fluid pressure distribution are significantly affected by manufacturing errors and micro-groove. Compared with axial manufacturing errors, circumferential manufacturing errors cause an inhomogeneous distribution of fluid pressure and morphological transformation in the high-pressure zone. The variation rules for the lubrication performance of bearings with circumferential waviness, concavity, convexity, and taper errors are not consistent at various eccentricity ratios. The magnitude of the concavity and taper errors may have an improving effect on the bearing performance, whereas circumferential waviness and convexity error play a negative role. Moreover, the micro-groove with partial distribution enhances the hydrodynamic effect in the bearing clearance. Numerical simulations can provide a valuable reference for the manufacturing and design of bearing systems.

Determination of friction coefficient for water-lubricated journal bearing considering rough surface EHL contacts

Determination of friction coefficient for water-lubricated journal bearing considering rough surface EHL contacts

A Fluid-Structure Interaction Method for the Elastohydrodynamic Lubrication Characteristics of Rubber-Plastic Double-Layer Water-Lubricated Journal Bearings

This paper proposes a fluid-structure interaction (FSI) numerical calculation method for investigation of the elastohydrodynamic lubrication performance of the rubber-plastic double-layer water-lubricated journal bearings. The accuracy and rapidity of the FSI method are improved by studying the effect of mesh density and by comparing the calculation results with those in the literature. Based on the proposed method, a series of numerical simulations are carried out to reveal the influence of operating conditions and structural parameters on the lubrication performance of the rubber-plastic bearings. Numerical results show that the bush deformation of the rubber-plastic bearing is between that of the rubber bearing and the plastic bearing, and the deformation area is close to that of the rubber bearing. The bearing load carrying capacity increases significantly with the rotational speed, eccentricity ratio, bearing length, and decrease with the clearance. But the influences of the plastic layer elastic modulus and thickness on bearing load are unremarkable. The effect of bush deformation on bearing load is noticeable when the eccentricity ratio is more than 0.8. The results are expected to provide design references for the bearings.

Study of Dynamic Characteristics of Water-Lubricated Journal Bearings Using Thermohydrodynamic Cavitating Lubrication Model

Cavitation is prone to occur in high-speed water-lubricated journal bearings. However, the effect of cavitation on the dynamic characteristics of high-speed water-lubricated journal bearings has not been studied thoroughly. This study focuses on this topic. A thermohydrodynamic (THD) cavitating lubrication model was established for the high-speed water-lubricated journal bearings, including the generalized Reynolds equation, the energy equation, and the force balance equation for bubbles. An equilibrium distribution was introduced to describe the cavitation effect, and parameters were obtained by fitting the measured volume distribution of bubbles. The dynamic characteristics of the water-lubricated journal bearings were calculated, considering the influence of thermal and cavitation effects. An experimental setup was developed to validate the proposed model. The simulated results show that two secondary temperature peaks appear in the divergence zone of the bearing due to the cavitation effect. The cavitation effect should be considered when establishing the model for high-speed water-lubricated journal bearings, especially if it is under a large eccentricity ratio.

Surface topography effect on tribological performance of water-lubricated journal bearing under mixed-EHL regime

Water-lubricated journal bearings (WLJB) are one of the important components of the stern tube shaft. Surface topography of WLJB is an important aspect in the design of stern tube shaft, and significantly affects the lubrication characteristics of WLJB. This work aims to investigate the effect of non-Gaussian surface topography on tribological performance of water-lubricated journal bearing (WLJB) under mixed-elastohydrodynamic lubrication (mixed-EHL) regime. The non-Gaussian flow factors, and a normalized Weibull probability density function is used to tackle the non-Gaussian roughness in hydrodynamic and asperity contact models respectively. From results, it is observed that skewness (S sk ) significantly affects both asperity contact pressure and hydrodynamic pressure along circumferential direction of bearing. It is concluded that for skewness, S sk = −1 to 1, lambda ratio falls between 1 to 3. The relation between altitude angle and skewness is established. The effect of bearing length to diameter (L/D) ratio on lubrication performance of WLJB is also discussed in detail.

Performance of water-lubricated ceramic journal hybrid bearing

Strong shear force developed in the lubrication film in the high-speed spindles will resulting high temperature rise and expanding the mandrel, which would arouse safe servicing problem. This study aimed to address the temperature rise issue in spindles through the use of substitutes in the spindle bearing material. To this end, we developed a spindle with a water-lubricated ceramic hydrodynamic and hydrostatic journal bearing. To support the selection of ceramic materials for the water-lubricated journal bearing, we initially performed application-oriented tests; to this end, the water absorption and porosity among alumina, silicon nitride, and silicon carbide were considered. To investigate the performance, and particularly the temperature characteristics of the hybrid bearing, a water-lubricated ceramic hydrodynamic and hydrostatic bearing test rig was designed to include temperature sensors. At the test rig, the radial clearance was measured for solving the temperature distribution of the bearing during the simulation. The experimental results helped verify that the water temperature increased by approximately 0.7°C as the rotation speed increased from 1200 rpm to 5400 rpm without an external radial load. The increase in temperature with and without radial load under a rotation speed of 3600 rpm was compared, and the results revealed a difference of 0.14°C. This indicates that the developed ceramic bearing improves the thermal stability of the spindle which shows its potential for industrial application in machine tools or other high rotation speed machines.

Elastohydrodynamic behavior analysis on water-lubricated journal bearing: a study of acoustic and tribological performance based on CFD-FSI approach

Elastohydrodynamic behavior analysis on water-lubricated journal bearing: a study of acoustic and tribological performance based on CFD-FSI approach

Nonlinear dynamic analysis of multiple grooved water-lubricated journal bearings using attenuation rate interpolation method

Purpose The stringent requirements for environmental protection have induced the extensive applications of water-lubricated journal bearings in marine propulsion. The nonlinear dynamic analysis of multiple grooved water-lubricated bearings (MGWJBs) has not been fully covered so far in the literature. This study aims to conduct the nonlinear dynamic analysis of the instability for MGWJBs. Design/methodology/approach An attenuation rate interpolation method is proposed for the determination of the critical instability speed. Based on a structured mesh movement algorithm, the transient hydrodynamic force model of MGWJBs is set up. Furthermore, the parameters’ analysis of nonlinear instability for MGWJBs is conducted. The minimum water film thickness, side leakage, friction torque and power loss of friction are fully analyzed. Findings With the increase of speed, the journal orbits come across the steady state equilibrium motion, sub-harmonic motion and limit circle motion successively. At the limit circle motion stage, the orbits are much larger than that of steady state equilibrium and sub-harmonic motion. The critical instability speed increases when the spiral angle decreases or the groove angle increases. The minimum water film thickness peak is at the rotor speed of 4,000 r/min for the MGWJB with Sa = 0°. As rotor speed increases, the side leakage decreases slightly while the friction torque and the power loss of friction increase gradually. Originality/value Present research provides a beneficial reference for the dynamic mechanism analysis and design of MGWJBs.

The design of eccentricity ratio, relative clearance and length-to-diameter ratio of water-lubricated journal bearings under different working conditions

This paper investigated the eccentricity ratio, relative clearance, and length to diameter ratio under different load carrying capacities and journal rotation speeds, aiming to provide design reference of eccentricity ratio, relative clearance, and length to diameter ratio in water-lubricated bearing design process. The computer fluid dynamics was adopted to analyze eccentricity ratio, relative clearance, and length to diameter ratio of water-lubricated bearing. The cavitation effect of water was considered in the analysis. The simulation results of eccentricity ratio were verified by experiments. In different journal rotation speeds, the relative clearance had little influence on the maximum water film pressure and load carrying capacity. The numerical number of maximum water film pressure and load carrying capacity was in a small range. Designing chart of eccentricity ratio, relative clearance, and length to diameter ratio was provided.

Lubrication Performance Distribution of Large Aspect Ratio Water-Lubricated Bearings Considering Deformation and Shaft Bending

In order to solve the problem that the assumption of the straight shaft is inconsistent with the actual situation of marine water-lubricated journal bearings, the journal bending curve was identified by calculating the three-dimensional mechanical model of propulsion shafting.- A fluid–solid coupling model of water-lubricated journal bearings considering journal bending was proposed. The results show that the simulation values matched the experiment values well at partial sections by a full-circumference film pressure distribution experiment with the full-size bearing. The journal bending line caused the water film pressure to peak at both ends of the bearing and caused the lubrication performance distribution to gather to one side. As eccentricity increases and Young’s modulus of lining decreases, the aggregation phenomenon is aggravated, maximum film pressure and carrying capacity increase, and minimum film thickness and friction coefficient decrease.

Three-dimensional computational fluid dynamic analysis of high-speed water-lubricated hydrodynamic journal bearing with groove texture considering turbulence

Water-lubricated bearings have attracted increasing attention in the field of high-speed machine tools for their low friction due to low viscosity. However, new problems, in particular, insufficient load capacity, are on the way. To the point, groove-textured journal bearing is adopted in this study. Aiming at investigating the effects of groove texture on high speed, water-lubricated, hydrodynamic journal bearing precisely, and thoroughly, three-dimensional computational fluid dynamic analyses considering cavitation and turbulence are undertaken to assess the tribological performances of the bearing. To reduce the amount of three-dimensional modeling and meshing work, mesh deformation is presented. The numerical results are compared with experiments to verify the validity of the present models and calculation procedures. Pressure distribution, load capacity, and friction of groove-textured water-lubricated journal bearing are analyzed with respect to operating conditions and geometric parameters. Comparisons between groove-textured water-lubricated journal bearing and smooth bearing are carried out to find out the influence of groove texture. It is found that the groove texture can achieve a remarkable improvement of load capacity at a smaller eccentricity ratio and higher rotary speed. The load capacity is affected by the combined effects of groove depth, width, and length. However, generally, the friction force of water-lubricated journal bearing is slightly influenced by groove texture. Results can provide theoretical guidance for the optimal design of groove-textured water-lubricated journal bearing under different operating parameters.

Water-lubricated stern tube bearing - experimental and theoretical investigations of thermal effects

The paper presents research results of thermal phenomena accompanying operation of a water-lubricated stern tube bearing with axial grooves. Experimental tests revealed, that intensity of forced axial flow has strong influence on bush temperature. Numerical simulations focused on investigation of the thermal phenomena under operation of water-lubricated journal bearing showed, that restricted axial flow promotes backflow of the water from bearing's side zones through the grooves. The backflow temperature is higher than the supply temperature since under the conditions of restricted forced axial flow, it is impacted mainly by the temperature of the water outflow from the gap, which is higher due to the shearing of lubricating film. This effect causes rise in the temperature of the bearing bush.

An experimental study on the tribological performance of water-lubricated journal bearings with three different materials

Purpose The tribological behavior, i.e. friction coefficient and wear rate, and vibration characteristics of the water-lubricated bearing was investigated. The water-lubricated bearing is made of three different materials, i.e. polyether-ether-ketone (PEEK), polyimide (PI) and nitrile-butadiene rubber (NBR). Design/methodology/approach The tribological behavior was investigated experimentally on a specially designed test rig. Three vibration sensors were used to record the vibration of the bearing. Findings The results indicated that the variation of friction coefficient with rotation speed agrees well with the trend of Stribeck curve. The tested friction coefficient of rubber bearing is higher than that of the other two bearings whether it is in the state of mixed-lubrication or hydrodynamic lubrication, and which causing a larger wear rate in rubber bearing. The PEEK bearing exhibits the best tribological properties due to it has smaller friction coefficient and wear rate. However, it can be found that the rubber bearing gives the minimum vibration acceleration, which means that the rubber bearing has the most potential to improve the stability of water-lubricated bearing rotor system. Originality/value In this study, a group of experiment studies conducted on a specially designed test rig. The comprehensive performance, including friction coefficient, vibration acceleration and wear rate, of water-lubricated bearing with three different materials, i.e. PEEK, PI and NBR, was compared systematically. The experiment research may offer a reference for the selection of material in water-lubricated bearing in specific operating conditions. Peer review The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/ILT-10-2019-0447/

Theoretical and experimental analysis of a water-lubricated rubber journal bearing with a large aspect ratio

Purpose The hydrodynamic characteristics of liquid film for bearings, especially water-lubricated bearings with a large length-to-diameter ratio, affect the dynamics behavior of rotor bearing systems. The purpose of this study is to carry out theoretical analysis and experiments to determine the hydrodynamic characteristics of water-lubricated journal bearings. Design/methodology/approach The finite difference method is adopted for the simulation of the characteristics of water-lubricated bearings. The comparison results between water-lubricated bearings with and without grooves, as well as with and without the consideration of the effects of rubber deformation, are presented. The test bearings, test bench, and monitoring system, especially the force exciter for the bearing experiment, are presented. Dynamic coefficient identification verification experiments were performed in different working situations. The obtained results include the calibration of magnetic force, two kinds of excitation, vibration data of the rotor system and dynamic coefficients. Findings The theoretical results demonstrate that the hydrodynamic effect was obvious when the speed was increased and that the water film had improved capability at a working speed of 1800 rpm. The identification results reveal the lubrication situation of the test bearing under low-speed and high-load conditions. Moreover, it was found that the liquid film was not continuous at low speeds. Originality/value The theoretical results can lead to the enhancement of the design level of water-lubricated rubber journal bearings with a large aspect ratio. The experimental results can lead to the improvement of the dynamic behavior design of rotor systems supported using water-lubricated bearings with a large length-to-diameter ratio.