2025 Volume 20 Issue 1 Pages 1-25
This paper examines the evolution of water-lubricated bearings (WLBs) and explores the use of water as a lubricant, highlighting the technological challenges involved in commercialising WLBs for marine applications. The review covers a wide range of subjects, including the impacts of various structural and operational parameters on oil film thickness, pressure, bearing capacity, and side leakage flow. It also addresses how to analyse and optimize the performance of these bearings using various numerical models and methods, including the Reynolds equation, finite difference approaches, and computational fluid dynamics. This study emphasizes the necessity of examining parameters such as feed hole intake shape, geometric and operational characteristics, and transition arc structures when improving the hydrodynamic load-carrying capacity (LCC) and tribological performance of water-lubricated journal bearings (WLJBs). It also analyses how misalignment, cavitation, and turbulence affect the performance of these bearings and proposes several design techniques to solve these difficulties. This study aims to present a complete and systematic assessment of the current state of research on water-lubricated journal bearings, focusing on major findings, methodology, and problems in their development. It is meant to be a valuable resource for researchers, engineers, and designers working in this sector, allowing them to better understand the complex interactions involved and build more efficient and reliable water-lubricated journal bearings for various applications.
