Multiphase computational fluid dynamics analysis of hydrodynamic journal bearing under the combined influence of texture and slip

Abstract

The drive to maintain the environmental sustainability and save the global energy consumption is urgent, making every powertrain system component a candidate to enhance efficiency. In this work, the combined effects of the slip boundary and textured surface in hydrodynamic journal bearing as one of the critical components in industrial powertrain and engine systems are assessed using a multiphase computational fluid dynamic analysis that allows for phase change in a cavitation process and arbitrary textured geometry. The texture studied consists of regularly spaced rectangular dimples through two-dimensional (infinitely long) journal bearing. The modified Navier-slip model is employed to describe the slip boundary condition. A systematic comparison is made for various textured configurations varying the texture depth and the length of the texturing zone with respect to the performance of a smooth (untextured) bearing for several eccentricity ratios. The effectiveness of the texture with or without slip at enhancing the load support over a corresponding smooth bearing is investigated with the parameters. The detrimental or beneficial effect of surface texturing as well as the slip promotion is explained in terms of the mechanisms of pressure generation for several eccentricity ratios. The results of the present work indicate that journal bearing textured by a proper texturing zone and dimple depth are characterized by substantial load support levels. However, in the range of high eccentricity ratios, the promotion of texturing and slip can significantly degrade the performance of the load support.