HYDRODYNAMIC ANALYSIS OF A FIXED INCLINE SLIDER BEARING

Abstract

In the present day technological scenario, machines rotating at high speeds and carrying heavy rotor loads are used. As a result, fixed incline slider bearings are used. They are designed for high axial loads. When a bearing rotates at high speed, the heat generated due to large shearing rates in the lubricant film raises its temperature which lowers the viscosity of the lubricant and in turn affects the performance characteristics of the bearing. Hydrodynamic analysis should therefore be done to obtain the realistic performance characteristics of the bearing. In most of the analyses, two dimensional energy equation is used to find the temperature distribution in the fluid film by neglecting the temperature variation in the axial direction. In this research, two dimensional study was done to predict pressure distribution along a fixed incline slider bearing surface axially and across the film thickness. Two dimensional energy equation was also used to obtain the temperature distribution in the fluid film by considering the temperature distribution in the axial direction. It was found that the Pressure distribution increases with decreasing film thickness ratio i.e. as the film thickness ratio becomes smaller, the pressure profile increases without limits and that the normal load carrying capacity, the adiabatic temperature of a fixed incline slider bearing increases with decreasing film thickness ratio. Also, it was established that the film thickness ratio increases as the friction coefficient increases and that there will be a greater power loss in a fixed incline slider bearing when the film thickness ratio is small. The results obtained here will be useful in designing and modifying fluid dynamic bearings.