Performance Characteristics of Worn Journal Bearings in Both Laminar and Turbulent Regimes. Part I: Steady-State Characteristics

Abstract

The effects of geometric change due to wear on the hydrodynamic lubrication of journal bearings are determined theoretically and experimentally in both laminar and turbulent regimes. The steady-state characteristics of the bearings such as film pressure, attitude angle, and Sommerfeld number are analyzed by a semianalytical finite element method for various wear depth parameters, and the theoretical results are compared with the experimental results. It is found that the geometric change due to wear has significant effects on the steady-state characteristics in both laminar and turbulent regimes. Good agreement is obtained between the theoretical and experimental results.