Consideration of the multizone hydrodynamic friction, the misalignment of axes, and the contact compliance of a shaft and a bush of sliding bearings

Abstract

The second version of the original Bearing Builder Finite Element Method (BBFEM) software and its application for analyzing the hydrodynamics of cylindrical sliding bearings has been briefly described. The two-dimensional problem of the lubricating fluid flow in a bearing clearance taking into consideration the different types of deviations in the contact surface from a cylindrical shape has been solved by the finite element method. The bearing design that leads to the formation of several hydrodynamic friction zones (fluid wedges) has been considered. The role of the contact compliance of a shaft and a bush and the operation factors that cause the deviation from the initial cylindrical shape of a bearing, including the deformations and the misalignment of the shaft and bush is shown by citing specific examples of antifriction composites of different compositions.