Note on the Influence of the Heat Transfer Between the Surfaces as a Secondary Effect in Gas Lubrication

Abstract

The problem of gas lubrication is examined by taking into account the energy equation and variation of viscosity with temperature. The velocity profiles and the pressure differential equation are deduced. When the temperatures T0 , T1 of the two lubricated surfaces are constant, simple corrections can be obtained in order to estimate the influence of unequal temperatures of the two surfaces on pressure distribution, load capacity, and friction stresses in self-acting films and on pressure distribution and mass flow in externally pressurized bearings. However, as the influence of the transversal heat transfer manifests only through the intermediary of the variation of viscosity with temperature, the isothermal analysis can further on be used, provided that one takes a mean value for the viscosity, corresponding to a mean temperature Tm = (T0 + T1 )/2.