EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION OF MULTI-LOBE HYDRODYNAMIC JOURNAL BEARING

Abstract

In most of the industrial applications, machine runs at a very high speed. High speed applications results in the whipping action in the circular hydrodynamic journal bearing. It develops fluid induced instability in journal bearing. The multilobe journal bearing exhibits excellent performance characteristics over circular journal bearings. Therefore, in present work performance characteristics of 2-lobe hydrodynamic journal bearing have been investigated experimentally. The performance characteristics such as fluid film pressure, minimum fluid thickness and temperature are studied for circular and lobed journal bearing. Further, finite element package also has been used for the investigation of hydrodynamic journal bearing characteristics. The results of the study indicate that the 2-lobe hydrodynamic journal bearing operates at lower value of temperature and considerably changes the performance characteristics of journal bearing compared with circular journal bearing.