Combined effects of surface roughness and viscosity variation due to additives on long journal bearing

Abstract

The combined effects of surface roughness and viscosity variation due to additives on long journal bearing are analytically studied. The variation in viscosity along the film thickness is considered. The presence of solid particles in the lubricant is an increased effective viscosity, which increases the load carrying capacity and decreases the frictional coefficient, whereas the viscosity variation tends to decrease both the load carrying capacity and coefficient of friction for non-micropolar fluid case. The modified Reynolds type equation for surface roughness has been derived on the basis of Eringen's micropolar fluid theory. The generalised stochastic random variable with non-zero mean, variance and skewness is assumed to mathematically model the surface roughness on the bearing surface. Numerical results were obtained for the fluid film pressure, load carrying capacity and the coefficient of friction. It is observed that the combined effect is to increase the load carrying capacity and to decrease the coefficient of friction, which improves the performance of the bearing. © 2013 W. S. Maney & Son Ltd.