A Mixed-TEHD Model for Journal-Bearing Conformal Contact—Part II: Contact, Film Thickness, and Performance Analyses

Abstract

Investigation of the mixed lubrication of journal-bearing conformal contacts is very important for failure prevention and design improvement. This paper studies the asperity contact in heavily loaded journal bearings with Lee and Ren’s asperity contact theory in a newly developed mixed-TEHD (Thermal Elasto-Hydro-Dynamic) model and analyzes the performance of simulated journal bearings under high eccentricity ratios. The effects of operating conditions, bearing structures, and thermal conditions on the contact severity were numerically investigated. The results indicate that the asperity contact pressure and the performance of journal bearings in the mixed lubrication are strongly affected by the geometric design and the thermal-elastic deformations. The heat transfer of the bearing-lubricant-journal system was also shown to play a role.