2021 Volume 38 Issue 3 Pages 173-
The generation of relatively high oil-film pressure in the small radial gap between two scroll wraps in a scroll compressor due to the inscribed rolling and sliding motions has long been hypothesized. However, neither the precise physical mechanism of this high oil-film pressure generation nor the significant characteristics of the oil-film pressure has been clearly identified. The current study presents the motion between two scroll wraps are represented by the superposition of rolling and sliding. Secondly, a theoretical analysis of the effects of oil viscosity on the oil-film pressure generated by the inscribed rolling and sliding motion between the scroll wraps is documented, where the oil film pressure and resultant oil film force are derived in a simplified form of the dimensionless expressions. Subsequently, the measurement of the oil-film pressure in a simplified equivalent physical model consisting of two circular cylinders undergoing inscribed rolling and sliding motions confirmed the theoretical results. Finally, the major characteristics of the oil-film pressure and resultant oil film force in a medium cooling capacity scroll compressor is calculated and demonstrates that the oil-film pressure acting on the outer periphery is sufficiently high to cause elastic deformation of scroll wrap.
