Transient instability characteristics of fluid film bearings induced by bubble inclusion

Bubble inclusion in the tribo-pair leads to two-phase fluid lubrication. Upon the initial introduction of air bubbles to the tribo-pair, it can lead to instability in the operational state. A numerical model is formulated by coupling the fluid Reynolds equation, bubble dynamics equation, and rotor dynamics equation. Various parameters, such as hydrodynamic pressure, fluid carrying capacity, rotor trajectory, and equilibrium position, are employed to characterize the impact of operational and fluid interface parameters on the bubble entrainment process. The findings reveal that the hydrodynamic pressure plays a crucial role in establishing the correlation between velocity and fluctuations in kinetic parameters. Surface tension predominantly influences bubbles within the dispersion region, while surface dilatational viscosity affects the entire domain. Lower surface dilatational viscosity or neglecting surface tension can trigger larger fluctuations in the rotor trajectory. Changes in liquid-phase viscosity result in fluctuations in bubble behavior and dynamics parameters, influenced by the equilibrium position and the effect of hydrodynamic pressure. Higher initial gas-phase volume fractions lead to a more pronounced reduction in fluid-carrying capacity and increased system instability.