Elasto-hydrodynamic lubrication analysis of full 360° journal bearing using CFD and FSI techniques

Conventional method of performing an EHL analysis on a bearing involves development of complex codes and simplification of actual physical model. This paper presents a methodology to model and simulate the Overall Elasto-Hydrodynamic Lubrication of a full journal bearing using the sequential application of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and Computational Structural Dynamics (CSD). Here, the coupled field analysis uses the capabilities of commercially available Finite Element Software ANSYS/FLOTRAN incorporating the technique of Fluid Structure Interaction (FSI). The pressure field for a full journal bearing operating under laminar flow regime with various L/D ratios is obtained by CFD. Stress distribution and deformation in the bearing liner due to resulting pressure force is evaluated using FEM, satisfying the boundary conditions. The stress distribution indicates the critical points in the bearing structure. The results show reasonable agreement in general.