Effect of surface texturing on the dynamic characteristics of hydrodynamic journal bearing comprising concepts of green tribology

Surface texturing has emerged as a viable option for enhancing the surface properties. The present study analyzes the effect of full and partial micro-textured surface, at different locations and different kinds of dimple geometries, on the dynamic characteristics of hydrodynamic journal bearings and made a comparative study with the non-textured bearings. Three different kinds of dimple geometries, namely, circular texture, square texture, and densely distributed square texture have been adopted for study. The important dynamic characteristics of bearings were evaluated and stability charts were plotted. Location of the texture was found as an important parameter for improved dynamic characteristics though the extent of improvement depends largely on the geometry of texture. The partial textured bearing with proper geometry and location was found to be more stable. Stability margin of such bearings was more in comparison to the plain journal bearings and the relative improvement was found to be the maximum for circular texture and minimum for square texture. The study also shows the potential of surface texturing to make contribution in the accomplishment of the objectives of green tribology.