Experimental study of the behaviour of externally pressurized journal bearings

Summary Over the past few years many mathematical models have been proposed for the analysis of externally pressurized bearings. But the gaps between experimental observations and the results of model analysis are still wide. These gaps are due to the simplifying hypothesis, that underlie the methods.A mathematical model for designing bearings that takes account of the effects of journal rotation has recently been devised at the Institute of Applied Mechanics of Genoa University. A test stand has also been designed and built, fitted with up-to-date instruments for the experimental analysis of bearings for several journal rotation speeds or for different load conditions.This paper presents a summary of the big program of experimental tests conducted with Italian CNR support and compares these experimental results with the theoretical results obtained by recasting the mathematical model to allow for the principal effects evidenced by the tests.

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Sommario Negli ultimi anni sono stati proposti molti modelli matematici atti all'analisi dei cuscinetti pressurizzati dall'esterno. Tuttavia nella letteratura si notano ancora notevoli discordanze fra le osservazioni sperimentali ed i risultati dell'analisi su modello. Tali differenze sono imputabili alle ipotesi semplificative adottate nell'impostazione dei metodi proposti.Presso l'Istituto di Meccanica Applicata di Genova è stato elaborato, negli anni scorsi, un modello matematico per la progettazione dei cuscinetti che tiene conto anche degli effetti dovuti alla rotazione del perno. E stato inoltre progettato e costruito un hanco di prova, dotato di moderne strumentazioni atte all'analisi sperimentale dei cuscinetti per varie velocità di rotazione del perno o per diverse condizioni di carcio.Il presente articolo presenta la sintesi del vasto programma di prove sperimentali condotte con il finanziamento del C.N.R. e confronta tali risultati sperimentali con quelli teorici ottenuti rielaborando il modello matematico per tener conto dei principali effetti messi in evidenza dalle prove.

     

Experimental investigation of bubbly lubricated externally pressurized thrust bearings

Experimental results are presented for a bubbly lubricated externally pressurized circular thrust bearing. The data consists of the measured radial pressure distribution together with the lubricant mass flow rate over a wide range of inlet pressure, air mass flow rate ratio, for an either stationary or rotating bearing.It is shown that the air injection always improves the pressure distribution in the bearing and so can completely avoid the negative pressure generated due to rotational inertia. Also it is shown that the bearing load carrying capacity increases as the injected air mass flow increases, especially at high inlet pressure. The lubricant mass flow rate is reduced by the increase of air mass flow rate and by the decrease of bearing rotational speed.Finally the experimental results described in this paper are in good agreement with the mathematical analysis, based on the homogeneous flow model presented previously.     

Thermal and inertia effects in externally pressurized conical thrust oil bearings

This paper presents theoretical and experimental investigations of thermal and inertia effects on the performance of externally pressurized conical thrust bearings. The analysis, as well as the experimental results, revealed that the increase in oil temperature due to pad rotation has a detrimental effect on the load carrying capacity, while it increases the flow rate. Increasing the speed of rotation, will increase or decrease the bearing load carrying capacity depending on the recess dimensions.Nomenclature c lubricant specific heat - F frictional torque - h film thickness - L load carrying capacity - P pressure - P pressure ratio (P/P ₁) - P ₁ inlet pressure - Q volume flow rate - r radius measured on cone surface - r radius ratio (R/R ₃) - R ₁ supply hole radius - R ₂ recess radius - R ₃ outside radius of bearing - S inertia parameter (0.15 ² R ₃ ² /P ₁) - T temperature - u, v, w velocity components (see Fig. 2) - z coordinate normal to cone surface - lubricant density - lubricant viscosity - 2 cone apex angle - rotational speed - recess depth     

Global optimum design of externally pressurized isogrid stiffened cylindrical shells with added T-rings

PANDA2 is a code for the minimum-weight design of perfect and imperfect elastic stiffened panels and shells made of composite laminates and subjected to multiple sets of in-plane loads, edge moments, normal pressure, and temperature. The scope of PANDA2 is increased to include global optimization and the capability to handle isogrid stiffening. The enhanced program is used to find global optimum designs of internally T-isogrid and internally T-ring stiffened perfect and imperfect isotropic cylindrical shells under uniform external pressure. For the cases studied, it is found that for the perfect optimized shells the isogrid stiffening is important but the rings are not, whereas the opposite holds for the optimized shells with an initial general buckling modal imperfection of amplitude equal to one per cent of the shell radius     

Effect of velocity-slip in externally pressurized porous thrust-bearing

In this paper, a theoretical investigation of the effect of slip velocity in externally pressurized porous thrust bearing has been made by using the boundary condition given by Beavers and Joseph. The expressions of bearing characteristics have been obtained in closed form. It has been noticed that the load-capacity and time of approach is greatly influenced by a new dimensionless parameter, called the “Bearing Number”, which gives the effect of the slip parameter.     

Inertia effects in externally pressurized bearing with viscoelastic lubricant

A theoretical investigation of inertia effects on the load capacity of an externally pressurized bearing with a visco-elastic lubricant is presented. The methods of iteration and averaged inertia have been employed to find an approximate solution of the resulting non linear differential equation. Graphical representation of results together with those for the case without inertia has been shown. It is found that the elasticity of the liquid increases the load bearing capacity and the pressure at a point in the lubricant film. There is a negative contribution to the load capacity by inertia forces.     

Chaos in the unbalance response of journal bearings

The behaviour of non-linear systems often yield unexpected phenomena which are extremely sensitive to initial conditions. The hydrodynamic journal bearing is a common machine element which is strongly nonlinear for large excursions within the clearance space. A simple model of a rigid journal, supported hydrodynamically using a short bearing theory is shown to behave chaotically when the rotating unbalance force exceeds the gravitational load. At these values of the force ratio the time history of the response is very sensitive to initial conditions and a spectral analysis demonstrates a significant broadening from the expected peak at the rotational frequency. A once per revolution sampling of the time history (Poincaré plot) revealed an apparent aperiodic pattern. An estimate of the fractal dimension using the Grasberger-Procaccia algorithm resulted in a lower bound of 2.15, a typical result for low dimensional systems with significant dissipative action. The required levels of unbalance are only an order of magnitude greater than acceptable levels for rotating machinery and thus could be achieved with in-service erosion or minor damage. The subsequent non-synchronous response could result in fatigue and potential shaft failure.     

Synthesis of thermal effects in misaligned hydrodynamic journal bearings

The analysis presented herein deals with the evaluation of pressure and temperature fields which are generated in thin fluid films of varying thickness. The particular problem of a misaligned journal bearing has been studied by solving simultaneously the Reynolds and energy equations, which also include the effects of viscous dissipation and the variation of fluid viscosity with temperature. The method has been used to predict pressure and temperature fields as well as global performance parameters for a typical journal bearing operation.     

Externally pressurized air journal bearing with multiple supply holes

A theoretical analysis is made to predict the load carrying capacity, flow requirement, and stiffness of an externally pressurized air lubricated journal bearing with several supply holes. The load, flow, and stiffness, expressed in dimensionless parameters, are presented for various bearing design parameters and eccentricity ratios. The design procedure of one such bearing either for maximum load capacity or for maximum stiffness is indicated.     

Dynamic stability of externally pressurized elastic rings subjected to high rates of loading

Of interest here is the influence of loading rate on the stability of structures where inertia is taken into account, with particular attention to the comparison between static and dynamic buckling. This work shows the importance of studying stability via perturbations of the initial conditions, since a finite velocity governs the propagation of disturbances. The method of modal analysis that determines the fastest growing wavelength, currently used in the literature to analyze dynamic stability problems, is meaningful only for cases where the velocity of the perfect structure is significantly lower than the associated wave propagation speeds.     

Steady-state behaviour of flexible rotordynamic systems with oil journal bearings

This paper deals with the long term behaviour of flexible rotor systems, which are supported by nonlinear bearings. A system consisting of a rotor and a shaft which is supported by one oil journal bearing is investigated numerically. The shaft is modelled using finite elements and reduced using a component mode synthesis method. The bearings are modelled using the finite-length bearing theory. Branches of periodic solutions are calculated for three models of the system with an unbalance at the rotor. Also self-excited oscillations are calculated for the three models if no mass unbalance is present. The results show that a mass unbalance can stabilize rotor oscillations.     

考虑温粘热效应的多瓦轴承模型及其应用

构筑了轴向解析、周向有限元压力分布的一维变粘度场有限宽轴承模型。在绝热边界条件下,忽略泊肃叶流项对速度的影响,不考虑温度轴向变化并沿油膜厚度方向积分,三维能量方程可降阶为平均温度场只沿周向分布的一维形式,结合滑动轴承非线性油膜力的一维直接解法,能量方程与雷诺方程可分别求解,既考虑了温粘效应对滑动轴承非线性动力学性能的影响,又提供了无需迭代直接确定油膜破裂边界和求解非线性油膜力的快速新方法。作为应用,针对进油槽位于水平两侧的椭圆瓦轴承进行了动力润滑热效应分析,与工程数据比较,计算结果吻合,证明该模型合理,适用于工程上多瓦轴承的分析计算。     

Chaotic motions of a rigid rotor in short journal bearings

In the present paper the conditions that give rise to chaotic motions in a rigid rotor on short journal bearings are investigated and determined. A suitable symmetry was given to the rotor, to the supporting system, to the acting system of forces and to the system of initial conditions, in order to restrict the motions of the rotor to translatory whirl. For an assigned distance between the supports, the ratio between the transverse and the polar mass moments of the rotor was selected conveniently small, with the aim of avoiding conical instability. Since the theoretical analysis of a system's chaotic motions can only be carried out by means of numerical investigation, the procedure here adopted by the authors consists of numerical integration of the rotor's equations of motion, with trial and error regarding the three parameters that characterise the theoretical model of the system: m, the half non-dimensional mass of the rotor, , the modified Sommerfeld number relating to the lubricated bearings, and , the dimensionless value of rotor unbalance. In the rotor's equations of motion, the forces due to the lubricating film are written under the assumption of isothermal and laminar flow in short bearings. The number of numerical trials needed to find the system's chaotic responses has been greatly reduced by recognition of the fact that chaotic motions become possible when the value of the dimensionless static eccentricity % MathType!MTEF!2!1!+-% feaafiart1ev1aaatCvAUfeBSjuyZL2yd9gzLbvyNv2CaerbnL2yY9% 2CVzgDGmvyUnhitvMCPzgarmWu51MyVXgaruWqVvNCPvMCG4uz3bqe% fqvATv2CG4uz3bIuV1wyUbqee0evGueE0jxyaibaieYlf9irVeeu0d% Xdh9vqqj-hEeeu0xXdbba9frFf0-OqFfea0dXdd9vqaq-JfrVkFHe9% pgea0dXdar-Jb9hs0dXdbPYxe9vr0-vr0-vqpWqaaeaabiGaciaaca% qabeaadaabauaaaOqaaiabew7aLnaaBaaaleaacaWGZbaabeaaaaa!4046!\[\varepsilon _s \] is greater than 0.4. In these conditions, non-periodic motions can be obtained even when rotor unbalance values are not particularly high (=0.05), whereas higher values (>0.4) make the rotor motion periodic and synchronous with the driving rotation. The present investigation has also identified the route that leads an assigned rotor to chaos when its angular speed is varied with prefixed values of the dimensionless unbalance . The theoretical results obtained have then been compared with experimental data. Both the theoretical and the experimental data have pointed out that in the circumstances investigated chaotic motions deserve more attention, from a technical point of view, than is normally ascribed to behaviours of this sort. This is mainly because such behaviours are usually considered of scarce practical significance owing to the typically bounded nature of chaotic evolution. The present analysis has shown that when the rotor exhibits chaotic motions, the centres of the journals describe orbits that alternate between small and large in an unpredictable and disordered manner. In these conditions the thickness of the lubricating film can assume values that are extremely low and such as to compromise the efficiency of the bearings, whereas the rotor is affected by inertia forces that are so high as to determine severe vibrations of the supports.Nomenclature C radial clearance of bearing (m) - D diameter of bearing (m) - e dimensional eccentricity of journal (m) - e _s value of e corresponding to the static position of the journal - E dimensional static unbalance of rotor (m) - f _x, f _y =F _x/(P), F _y/(P): non-dimensional components of fluid film force - F _x, F _y dimensional components of fluid film force (N) - g acceleration of gravity (m/s²) - L axial length of bearing (m) - m % MathType!MTEF!2!1!+-% feaafiart1ev1aaatCvAUfeBSjuyZL2yd9gzLbvyNv2CaerbnL2yY9% 2CVzgDGmvyUnhitvMCPzgarmWu51MyVXgaruWqVvNCPvMCG4uz3bqe% fqvATv2CG4uz3bIuV1wyUbqee0evGueE0jxyaibaieYlf9irVeeu0d% Xdh9vqqj-hEeeu0xXdbba9frFf0-OqFfea0dXdd9vqaq-JfrVkFHe9% pgea0dXdar-Jb9hs0dXdbPYxe9vr0-vr0-vqpWqaaeaabiGaciaaca% qabeaadaabauaaaOqaaiabg2da9maalaaabaGaeqyYdC3aaWbaaSqa% beaacaaIYaaaaaGcbaGaeqyYdC3aa0baaSqaaGabciaa-bdaaeaaca% WFYaaaaaaakiabg2da9maalaaabaGaeqyYdC3aaWbaaSqabeaacaaI% YaaaaOGaam4qaaqaaiabeo8aZjaadEgaaaaaaa!4C14!\[ = \frac{{\omega ^2 }}{{\omega _0^2 }} = \frac{{\omega ^2 C}}{{\sigma g}}\]: half non-dimensional mass of rotor - M half mass of rotor (kg) - n angular speed of rotor (in r.p.m.=60/2) - t time     

Three‐dimensional effects in dynamically loaded journal bearings

The effects of non‐Newtonian lubricants on the dynamics of a 3D journal bearing are investigated using a moving spectral element method. Comparisons are made with the findings reported for the 2D case. The variation of L/D, the ratio of the length of the bearing to its diameter, is shown to have a significant effect on the stability properties of the journal. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Performance behaviour of elliptical-bore journal bearings lubricated with solid granular particulates

Journal bearings operating in hot environments and at high temperatures experience accelerated degradation of lubricating oils. In such situations, dry granular particulates have emerged as potential media for providing lubrication in journal bearings in place of lubricating oils. Granular particulates do not degrade thermally, even at considerably high temperatures. This work explores the static and dynamic performance characteristics of elliptical-bore journal bearings lubricated with granular particulates. It is found that a bearing lubricated with a larger size (2 μm) particles offers better performance compared with that using smaller size (1 μm) particles. Bore ellipticity reduces the load-carrying capacity and increases side leakage and the coefficient of friction; however, rotor stability is marginally improved at low eccentricity ratios (<0.6), followed by significant improvement at high eccentricity ratios (>0.6).