Notes on Transient THD Effects in a Lubricating Film

Abstract

An analysis of the transient thermohydrodynamic behavior of the lubricating film in a journal bearing is presented. The energy equation and the Reynolds equation are uncoupled and a simplified form of the energy equation is derived by integrating an assumed form of temperature distribution across the film thickness. This equation gives the mean film temperature subjected to an adiabatic boundary condition at the oil-bush interface and a boundary condition that imposes a uniform circumferential temperature at the oil-shaft interface. An algorithm is developed which efficiently solves the equation for the transient, mean film temperature. Numerical results are presented for several operating parameters.