Effects of thermal and hydrodynamic characteristics of heavy-duty rotary table on the hydrostatic circular pads

Abstract

The lubricant film of hydrostatic circular pad in the heavy-duty rotary table is affected by the roughness, thermal and hydrodynamic effect, which can cut down the load-carrying capacity and machining accuracy of the heavy-duty machine tool. In this paper, a coupled energy equation with mean Reynolds equation based on the Christensen’s stochastic model of rough surfaces is presented to analyze the temperature rising, pressure distribution and load-carrying capacity of the hydrostatic circular pad. The mean Reynolds equation, momentum equation, continuity equation, and energy equation are coupled and solved using the finite difference method to obtain the characteristics of lubricant film. It is found that the uneven pressure distribution and the temperature rising of lubricant film in resistive oil edge of hydrostatic circular pad are related to the increase of dimensionless hydrodynamic parameter S due to the thermal and hydrodynamic coupling effect. The load-carrying capacity and stability of heavy-duty rotary table is weakened due to the thermal and hydrodynamic effects.