Effect of lubricant supply starvation on the thermohydrodynamic performance of a journal bearing

With judicious selection of supply groove location for journal bearings, the lubricant supply rate and power loss can be considerably reduced without sacrificing the load-carrying capacity. In addition, the lubricant supply rate can further be reduced, either accidentally or deliberately, and the applied load may still be maintained. In this parametric study, the effects of reduced lubricant supply rate compared to the flooded inlet is studied for an axial-grooved journal bearing Cavitation effects in the fluid film are taken into account and a full THD model, including heat conduction to the metal surfaces, is included in the analysis. Performance parameters at various load values due to reduced supply rate and typical temperature distributions are presented. It is found that, it may be possible to operate the bearing with as much as 70 percent reduction in lubricant supply rate.