Behavior of a Bingham Solid in Hydrodynamic Lubrication : Part 3, Application to Journal Bearing

Abstract

In the first paper, we already presented the equivalent Raynolds equation for a Bingham solid. In the second paper we applied this theory to a step bearing and carried out an experimental study on it using grease as a lubricant. The core profile and the performances in the step bearing were made clear. In this paper, we apply the equivalent Raynolds equation for a Bingham solid to a journal bearing and obtain theoretically the core profile formed in the bearing and the bearing performances such as the pressure distribution. On the other hand, we observe the core formation and measure the bearing performances, such as the pressure distribution, in the journal bearing lubricated with grease which is a sort of a Bingham solid. The experimental results agree well with the theoretical ones and it is confirmed that the core is formed at the middle of width of inlet side and adheres to the bearing surface when the eccentricity ratio becomes large. As the dimensionless yield stress increases, the range of core and the load capacity increase.