Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to study the effects of operating conditions including process coefficient, lubricant viscosity and cavitation pressure on the cavitation of spiral groove liquid-film seal (SG-LFS).
Design/methodology/approach
A mathematical model of SG-LFS is established based on the JFO boundary and a relative density is introduced. The universal governing equation after a coordinate transformation is discretized by the FVM method and solved by the Gauss-Seidel relaxation scheme.
Findings
The results indicate that the two-dimensional size of cavitation and cavitation degree are affected significantly by the process coefficient and lubricant viscosity but the effect of cavitation pressure can be ignored.
Originality/value
The effect mechanisms of operating conditions on the cavitation of SG-LFS are studied by the JFO boundary and cavitation degree characterized by a relative density. The results presented are helpful to perfect and deeply understand the cavitation mechanism of liquid-film seal.
Peer review
The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/ILT-03-2020-0083/
