Performance Characteristics of Micropolar Lubricated Membrane-Compensated Worn Hybrid Journal Bearings

The objective of the present article is to analytically study the effect of wear on the performance of a membrane-compensated hybrid journal bearing system under micropolar lubrication. The lubricating oil containing additives and contaminants has been modeled as a micropolar fluid. The wear on the bearing surface due to the transient (start-stop) operations has been modeled using Dufrane's abrasive wear model. The modified Reynolds equation governing the flow of micropolar lubricant in the clearance space of a bearing has been solved using an iterative scheme based on the finite element method (FEM) and the Newton-Raphson method. The numerically simulated results are presented for a wide range of restrictor design parameters, wear depth parameter, and micropolar parameters. The numerically simulated results suggest that the wear on the bearing surface and micropolar parameters of the lubricant significantly affect the bearing performance. Therefore, it is imperative to take into account the effect of wear and lubricant characteristics in the bearing analysis in order to generate accurate design data for bearing performance.