A mixed-TEHD analysis and experiment of journal bearings under severe operating conditions

The increasingly high demands for compact design require journal bearings to work under severe operating conditions. A steady-state mixed-TEHD (thermo-elasto-hydrodynamic) model for journal bearings has been developed. The model considers the fluid flow in the gap formed by rough surfaces, asperity contact, surface thermoelastic deformations, and a temperature-pressure-viscosity relationship for the lubricant, as well as an angular misalignment between the journal and the bearing. The model is verified with experimentally measured temperature data. Numerical simulations of the operation of a typical journal bearing are conducted and the importance of several contributing factors in mixed lubrication is discussed. A bearing temperature transition has been experimentally identified and numerically analyzed. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.