Pressure Boundary Conditions for High Speed Thrust Bearings :1st Report, Infinitely Long Thrust Bearings

Abstract

Three kinds of pressure boundary conditions at the inlet edge of hydrodynamic thrust bearings under turbulent operating conditions including inertia effects are theoretically discussed. The turbulent lubrication equation considering the inertia effects is solved for infinitely long thrust bearings, in which three kinds of pressure boundary conditions are applied at the inlet edge of the bearings in accordance with three types of lubrication conditions, namely : the flooded condition, the overflooded condition and the starved condition ; and an analytical solution for each condition is presented for the plane slider bearings. Sample results are indicated in graphical form and the relationships between three kinds of pressure boundary conditions and the static characteristics of bearings are discussed for a wide range of Reynolds numbers.