Turbulent Hybrid Bearings With Fluid Inertia Effects

Abstract

High speed hybrid bearings for cryogenic applications demand large levels of external pressurization to provide substantial load capacity. These conditions give rise to large film Reynolds numbers, and thus, cause the fluid flow within the bearing film to be turbulent and dominated by fluid inertia effects both at the recess edges and at the thin film lands. The analysis includes the effect of recess fluid compressibility and a model for the pressure rise within the recess region. Flow turbulence is simulated by friction factors dependent on the local Reynolds numbers and surface conditions. A perturbation method is used to calculate the zeroth and first flow fields and determine the bearing steady-state and dynamic force response. Comparison of results with existing experimental data shows the accuracy of the present full inertial-turbulent analysis. A roughened bearing surface is shown to improve considerably the stability characteristics of hybrid bearings operating at high speeds.