Numerical investigation of squeeze film lubrication on bioinspired hexagonal patterned surface

Purpose This paper aims to investigate the squeeze film lubrication properties of hexagonal patterned surface inspired by the epidermis structure of tree frog’s toe pad and numerically explore the working mechanism of hexagonal micropillar during the acquisition process of high adhesive and friction for wet contacts. Design/methodology/approach A two-dimensional elastohydrodynamic numerical model is employed for the squeezing contacts. The pressure distribution, load carrying capacity and liquid flow rate of the squeeze film are obtained through a simultaneous solution of the two-dimensional Reynolds equation and elasticity deformation equations. Findings Higher pressure is found to be longitudinally distributed across individual hexagonal pillar, with pressure peak emerging at the center of hexagonal pillar. Expanding the area density and shrinking the channel depth or initial film thickness will improve the magnitude of squeezing pressure. Relatively lower pressure is generated inside interconnected channels, which reduces the load carrying capacity of the squeeze film. Meanwhile, the introduction of microchannel is revealed to downscale the total mass flow rate of squeezing contacts. Originality/value This paper provides a good proof for the working mechanism of surface microstructures during the acquisition process of high adhesive and friction for wet contacts.

Analysis on Influences of Squeeze Film Damper on Vibrations of Rotor System in Aeroengine

Squeeze film damper (SFD) is widely used in the vibration suppression of aeroengine rotor systems, but will cause complex motions of the rotor system under specific operating conditions. In this paper, a lumped-mass dynamic model of the high-pressure rotor system in an aeroengine is established, and the nonlinear stiffness and damping formula of SFD are introduced into the above model. The vibration responses of the rotor system under different rotating speeds and with different unbalances are investigated numerically, and the influence of SFD on the rotor system vibration and the change of suppression ability are compared and analyzed. The results show that in the case of high speed, together with a small unbalance, the rotor system will perform a complex vibration or a bistable vibration due to SFD. If the unbalance is properly increased under the same case of high speed, the vibration of the rotor becomes single-harmonic and the bistable vibration disappears. The research results can provide a helpful reference for analyzing complex vibration mechanisms of the rotor system with SFD and achieving an effective vibration suppression through unbalance regulation.

Viscoacoustic squeeze-film force on a rigid disk undergoing small axial oscillations

This paper investigates the air flow induced by a rigid circular disk or piston vibrating harmonically along its axis of symmetry in the immediate vicinity of a parallel surface. Previous attempts to characterize these so-called ‘squeeze-film’ systems largely relied on simplifications afforded by neglecting either fluid acceleration or viscous forces inside the thin enclosed gas layer. The present viscoacoustic analysis employs the asymptotic limit of small vibration amplitudes to investigate the flow by systematic reduction of the Navier–Stokes equations in two distinct flow regions, namely, the inner gaseous film where streamlines are nearly parallel to the confining walls and the near-edge region of non-slender flow that features gas exchange with the surrounding stagnant atmosphere. The flow in the gaseous film depends on the relevant Stokes number, defined as the ratio of the characteristic viscous time across the film to the characteristic oscillation time, and on a compressibility parameter, defined as the square of the ratio of the acoustic time for radial pressure equilibration to the oscillation time. A Strouhal number based on the local residence time emerges as an additional governing parameter for the near-edge region, which is incompressible at leading order. The method of matched asymptotic expansions is used to describe the solution in both regions, across which the time-averaged pressure exhibits comparable variations that give opposing contributions to the resulting time-averaged force experienced by the disk or piston. A diagram structured with the Stokes number and compressibility parameter as coordinates reveals that this steady squeeze-film force, typically repulsive for small values of the Stokes number, alternates to attraction across a critical separation contour in the parametric domain that exists for all Strouhal numbers. This analysis provides, for the first time, a unifying viscoacoustic theory of axisymmetric squeeze films, which yields a reduced parametric description for the time-averaged repulsion/attraction force that is potentially useful in applications including non-contact fluid bearings and robot locomotion.

Influence of Lubricant Film Cavitation On the Vibration Behaviour of a Semi-Floating Ring Supported Turbocharger Rotor with Thrust Bearing

This contribution investigates the influence of outgassing processes on the vibration behaviour of a hydrodynamic bearing supported turbocharger rotor. The examined rotor is supported radially by floating rings with outer squeeze-film damping and axially by thrust bearings. Due to the highly non-linear bearing properties, the rotor can be excited via the lubricating film, which results in sub-synchronous vibrations known as oil-whirl and oil-whip phenomena. A significant influence on the occurrence of oil-whip phenomena is attributed to the bearing stiffness and damping, which depend both on the kinematic state of the supporting elements and the thermal condition as well as the occurrence of outgassing processes. For modelling the bearing behaviour, the Reynolds equation with mass-conserving cavitation regarding the two-phase model and the 3D energy as well as heat conduction equation is solved. To evaluate the impact of cavitation, run-up simulations are carried out assuming a fully (Half-Sommerfeld) or partially filled lubrication gap. The resulting rotor responses are compared with the shaft motion measurement. Also, the normalized eccentricity, the minimum lubricant fraction and the thermal bearing condition are discussed.

A Dynamical Study of a Rotor Supported by a Radial Journal Bearing Incorporating a Spherical Squeeze Film Damper

The reduction of noises, vibration, and mechanical waves transmitting through water from the shells of submarines is essential to their safe operation and travelling. Vibrations from the rotors of the engines are widely deemed as one of the main sources to which engineers have tried to attenuate with various designs. Squeeze-film dampers can be easily integrated into rotor-bearing structures in order to lower the level of vibrations caused by rotors out of balance. For this advantage, squeeze-film dampers are widely used in air-turbine engines. This paper presents preliminary results of a numerical simulation of a shaft running on a journal bearing integrated with a squeeze-film damper and evaluates the capacity in reducing vibrations concerning the stability of static equilibrium of the shaft journal center. The proposed damper is designed in spherical shape with self-aligning capacity. The results were obtained using finite difference method and numerical integration of the full nonlinear equations of motion.

INVESTIGATION ON EFFECT OF SURFACE ROUGHNESS PATTERN TO DYNAMIC PERFORMANCE OF MEMS RESONATORS IN VARIOUS TYPES OF GASES AND GAS RAREFACTION

The average modified molecular gas lubrication (MMGL) equation, which is modified with pressure flow factors and effective viscosity, is utilized to analyze the squeeze film damping (SFD) on micro-beam resonators considering effect of surface roughness pattern in various types of gases and gas rarefaction. Then, effect of surface roughness pattern (film thickness ratio and Peklenik number) is discussed on the quality factor (Q-factor) of micro-beam resonators in various types of gases and gas rarefaction. Thus, effect of surface roughness pattern is significantly reduced as effective viscosity of gas decreases in higher mode of resonator and higher gas rarefaction.