Experimental investigation on the influence of a multi-scratched shaft on hydrodynamic journal bearing performance

Energy production machinery is one of the main subjects of current engineering research. Manufacturers and users are seeking to increase the performance of these machines and, thus, to extend the maintenance intervals as far as possible. It is therefore essential to predict their behavior according to their wear to schedule maintenance operations. This work aims to present data allowing the comparison of numerical results to physical behavior. The essential parameters of the bearing (temperature, pressure, friction) are measured, varying the operating conditions in terms of speed and load. Whatever the operating condition, scratches induce a strong modification of the pressure field, which is reduced close to zero in the zone facing the scratch. The most detrimental case is that with multiple scratches, which significantly reduces the load-carrying capacity of the bearing. In this case, the maximum pressure in the bearing mid-plane increases by more than 50% and the maximum temperature by more than 15 K.

Automated summary

The study aims to compare numerical results with physical behavior in order to understand the impact of scratches on pressure field and load-carrying capacity of bearings.