Abstract: Fixed-geometry hydrodynamic journal bearings are
one of the best supporting systems for several applications of rotating
machinery. Cylindrical journal bearings present excellent loadcarrying
capacity and low manufacturing costs, but they are subjected
to the oil-film instability at high speeds. An attempt of overcoming
this instability problem has been the development of non-circular
journal bearings. This work deals with an analysis of oil-lubricated
elliptical journal bearings using the finite element method. Steadystate
and dynamic performance characteristics of elliptical bearings
are rendered by zeroth- and first-order lubrication equations obtained
through a linearized perturbation method applied on the classical
Reynolds equation. Four-node isoparametric rectangular finite
elements are employed to model the bearing thin film flow. Curves of
elliptical bearing load capacity and dynamic force coefficients are
rendered at several operating conditions. The results presented in this
work demonstrate the influence of the bearing ellipticity on its
performance at different loading conditions.
Abstract: The study deals with the challenges in developing a
test rig to test the performance of water lubricated journal bearing.
The test rig is designed to simulate the working conditions of the
bearing in order to understand their performance before they are put
in operation. The bearing that is studied is the commercially available
water lubricated bearing which has a rubber liner bonded with a rigid
metal shell. The lubricant enters the bearing axially through a
pressurized inlet tank and exits to an outlet tank which is at
sufficiently low pressure. The load on the bearing is applied through
the dead weight system which acts both in upward and downward
direction so that net load acts on the bearing. The issues in feeding
the lubricant into the bearing from the inlet side and preventing the
leakage of the lubricant is discussed. The application of the load on
the test bearing while maintaining the bearing afloat is also discussed.