HYDRODYNAMIC LUBRICATION OF JOURNAL BEARINGS BY PSEUDO-PLASTIC LUBRICANTS - 3. THEORETICAL ANALYSIS CONSIDERING EFFECTS OF CORRELATION.

Abstract

Some investigations about hydrodynamic lubrication of journal bearings using pseudo-plastic fluids were published in the previous papers by authors. In finite bearings, the velocity gradients in circumferential and axial directions are related respectively with the shear stresses in both directions, so that the velocity gradients in circumferential and axial directions correlate with each other. In this paper, a more general modified Reynolds equation including the effects of correlation is derived. Applying this theory to journal bearings, the bearing performance, such as pressure distribution, load capacity, frictional force and oil flow, is obtained. It is compared with the previous analysis neglecting the correlation. It is made clear that the effects of correlation are small in the case of a small ″nonlinear factor″ which is a dimensionless quantity indicating the non-Newtonian characteristics.