Reynolds Number Dependence of Bearing Performance

Based on the full Navier-Stokes solutions, the thermohydrodynamic performance of a long journal bearing is investigated. A numerical method based on Galerkin's procedure and B-spline test functions has been presented for solving two-dimensional problems involving fluid flow and heat transfer. For numerical stability the artificial compressibility is employed to the conservation of mass. The discretized algebraic equations are solved by Newton's method. Effects of varying the speed of an inner cylinder to load carrying capacity are investigated. The results indicated that the increase of the speed of an inner cylinder has a significant effect on the temperature profile and ultimately on the performance.