Performance of textured foil journal bearing considering the influence of relative texture depth

Both foil structure and surface texturing have been widely used to improve bearing performance. However, there is little research on their combination, namely, textured gas foil bearing. This paper adopts the Reynolds equation as the pressure governing equation of bump-type foil journal bearing to study the influence of textures located on the top foil. The Newton-Raphson iterative method and the perturbation method are employed to obtain static and dynamic characteristics, respectively. Thereafter, based on three texture distribution types, further analysis about the effect of the relative texture depth and the textured portion is carried out. The results indicate that an appropriate arrangement of textures could improve the performance of gas foil bearing. For #1 texture distribution, the maximum increment of load capacity could exceed 10% when ω = 1.4 × 105 r/min, ε = 0.2.

Structural Design and Optimization of Herringbone Grooved Journal Bearings Considering Turbulent

In order to improve the performance of the traditional constant-width herringbone grooved journal bearing in a computed tomography tube under a high-temperature environment, the present study designed a convergent herringbone grooved journal bearing (HGJB) structure lubricated by liquid metal. The bearing oil film thickness and the Reynolds equation considering the influence of turbulence are established and solved by using the finite difference method in the oblique coordinate system. The performance of the two bearings was compared, and the static and dynamic performance change trends of the two bearing structures under different eccentricities were systematically studied. The results show that the convergent herringbone grooved journal bearings are superior to the constant-width herringbone grooved journal bearings in terms of bearing capacity and stiffness coefficient. At the same time, the influence of structural parameters, such as the number of grooves, helix angle, groove to ridge ratio, groove depth on the performance of the constant-width herringbone grooved journal bearings, and the convergent herringbone grooved journal bearings was studied. Finally, we conclude that the performance of the convergent herringbone grooved journal bearings is optimal when the number of grooves is 15–20, the helix angle is 30–45°, the ratio of the groove to ridge is 1, and the groove depth is 0.02 mm −0.024 mm. This research has provided the thinking and reference basis for the design of liquid metal bearings for high-performance CT equipment.

Influence of roundness error screw on running characteristics of sliding bearing based on SDT

In order to study the influence of roundness error on the oil film characteristics of journal bearing rotor system, a dynamic model of journal bearing rotor system with roundness error was established, and a new generalized roundness error equation is derived based on the small displacement screw (SDT) theory. And the influence of roundness error screw parameter dx represented by SDT on critical speed and stability of sliding bearing is analyzed emphatically. The results show that the existence of journal roundness error is beneficial to the bearing capacity and stability of sliding bearing rotor system to a certain extent, and with the increase of roundness error screw parameter, its promoting effect is more obvious; At the same time, the critical speed of the system will increase with the increase of screw parameter, especially when eccentricity ε>0.6; And when Sommerfeld number S>0.6, the roundness error of journal has little influence on stability.

Low friction bio-inspired polydopamine/polytetrafluoroethylene coating performance in hydrodynamic bearings

Purpose Low friction polymer coatings able to withstand high loadings and many years of continuous operation are difficult to formulate at low cost, but could find many applications in industry. This study aims to analyze and compare friction and wear performance of novel polydopamine/polytetrafluoroethylene (PDA/PTFE) and traditional tin Babbitt coatings applied to an industrial journal bearing. Design/methodology/approach This paper tested PTFE based coating, co-deposited with PDA, a biopolymer allowing sea mussels to adhere to ocean rocks. This coating was deposited on flat steel substrates and on a curved cast iron hydrodynamic journal bearing surface. The flat substrates were analyzed with a tribometer and an optical microscope, while the coated bearing liners were tested in an industrial laboratory setting at different speeds and different radial loads. Findings PDA/PTFE coating showed 2-3 times lower friction compared to traditional tin Babbitt for flat substrates, but higher friction in the bearing liners. PDA/PTFE also showed considerable wear through coating delamination and abrasion in the bearing liners. Research limitations/implications Five future modifications to mitigate coating flaws are provided, which include modifications to coating thickness and its surface finish. Originality/value While the novel coating showed excellent results on flat substrates, coating performance in a large scale bearing was found to be poor. This study shows that coating preparation needs to be improved to avoid frictional losses and unwanted damage to bearings. We provide several routes that could improve coating performance in industrial applications.

Influence of surface textures on the dynamic stability and performance parameters of hydrodynamic two-lobe journal bearings

Surface texturing can improve the performance of journal bearing system. The present study theoretically investigates the impact of surface textures on the dynamic stability and performance parameters of two-lobe journal bearing system. Galerkin's finite element method is used to solve the Reynolds equation governing the flow of lubricant in the gap between the bearing and the journal. Reynolds boundary conditions are applied in the simulation study of plain, full-textured, partially textured-I and partially textured-II configurations of two-lobe journal bearing. The dynamic stability and performance parameters of textured two-lobe journal bearings are computed with the variation of eccentricity ratio and dimple depth and compared with circular bearing results. The results indicate that the existence of surface textures in the pressure build-up zone ranging from 126°–286° and at unity dimple aspect ratio can significantly improve the dynamic stability and performance parameters of two-lobe bearing system.