A Thermohydrodynamic Analysis of Journal Bearings Lubricated by a Non-Newtonian Fluid

Abstract

Our earlier work on the flow of a non-Newtonian fluid of the differential type in a journal bearing is extended here to include nonisothermal operations and temperature dependent viscosity. We show that for the type of lubricant investigated, even a slight departure from Newtonian behavior renders the bearing performance relatively insensitive to changes in lubricant temperature. But whether this change in lubricant behavior actually results in improved load capacity depends on the value and the sign of the material parameters.