• Tribology and Lubricants
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.61-71
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• 2023

This study proposes a procedure for designing a labyrinth seal that meets both leakage flow rate and rotordynamic performance criteria (effective damping, amplification factor, separation margin, logarithmic decrement, and vibration amplitude). The seal is modeled using a one control volume (1CV) bulk flow approach to predict the leakage flow rate and rotordynamic coefficients. The rotating shaft is modeled with the finite element (FE) method and is assumed to be supported by two linearized bearings. Geometry, material and operating conditions of the rotating shaft, and the supporting characteristics of the bearings were fixed. A single labyrinth seal is placed at the center of the rotor, and the linearized dynamic coefficients predicted by the seal numerical model are inserted as linear springs and dampers at the seal position. Seal designs that satisfy both leakage and rotordynamic performance are searched by modifying five seal design parameters using the multi-grid method. The five design parameters include pre-swirl ratio, number of teeth, tooth pitch, tooth height and tooth tip width. In total, 12500 seal models are examined and the optimal seal design is selected. Finally, normalization was performed to select the optimal labyrinth seal designs that satisfy the system performance requirements.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Tribologists and Lubrication Engineers Conference
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• 2001.06a
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• pp.257-262
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• 2001

A numerical analysis is undertaken to show tile influence of bearing design parameters on tile load capacity of air lubricated spiral grooved thrust bearing. The governing equation derived from the mass balance is solved by the finite difference method. Optimal values for various design parameters are obtained to maximize the load capacity. The design parameters are the groove angle, the groove width ratio, the groove height ratio, arid the seal ratio.

• Tribology and Lubricants
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.39-45
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• 2000

In this paper, the effects of shaft and bearing flexibilities are investigated for the accurate modeling of a shaft-bearing system supported by ball bearings. Generally, rolling bearings are modeled by simple rigid pin-joint in the mechanical design. However, they can no longer be modeled by ideal boundary conditions in the advanced applications because the rigid pin-joint model cannot satisfy the current trends of mechanical design decreasing mass and reducing volume. Consequently the flexible support model of ball bearing is investigated using the static analysis module developed by A .B. Jones and T. A. Harris. A simple two-bearing system, supported by two deep groove ball bearings and radially loaded on the shaft midway between the bearings, is utilized to validate the coupled model of shaft-bearing system. Numerical computations using the model indicate that the shaft span length, locating/floating bearing arrangements and applied bearing size are significant factors in determining the mechanical behaviors. The flexible support model of ball bearing can be escaped to over-estimate in the bearing fatigue life. The proposed simple design formulation obtained by numerical simulations can approximately predict a rate of bearing life reduction as a function of shaft span length/shaft diameter (L/d).

• Tribology and Lubricants
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• v.29 no.6
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• pp.386-391
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• 2013

Part I of this study analyzed the effects of tilting pad bearing designs to reduce the stiffness of the bearings used in a process high-speed lightweight centrifugal compressor intended for a domestic refinery use. This was done in an attempt to enhance the robustness of its rotordynamic stability against possible aerodynamic cross-coupled stiffness. The bearing design variables reviewed were the clearances, LBPs, LOPs, and preloads. The results showed that there was practically no difference between the LBP and LOP designs in terms of the bearing stiffness, because the compressor rotor was lightweight and the bearings had relatively high preloads. Increasing both the machined and assembled clearances in bearing designs has resulted in the bearing stiffness being greatly reduced. In addition, it has been confirmed that an additional reduction in the bearing stiffness can be obtained for given fixed machined clearances by decreasing the preloads, i.e., by increasing the assembled clearances.

• Tribology and Lubricants
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.213-217
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• 2013

As commercial atomic force microscopy (AFM) probes made of Si and $Si_3N_4$ have low stiffness, it is difficult to induce sufficient elastic deformation on the surface of a specimen in a tapping mode. Therefore, high-guality phase contrast images can not obtained. On the other hand, a tungsten AFM probe has relatively higher stiffness than a commercial AFM probe. Accordingly, it is expected to provide an enhanced phase contrast image, which is an effective tool for achieving a better understanding of the micromechanical properties of worn surfaces and wear mechanisms. In this study, on electrochemical etching method was optimized to fabricate tungsten probe tips for an AFM. Electrochemical etching was performed by applying pulse waves with a 20% duty cycle at various voltages instead of only a DC voltage, which has been commonly used.

• Tribology and Lubricants
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.165-170
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• 2005

Engine lubrication system has very complex oil flow networks. Therefore it is difficult to evaluate and optimize the system only depending on experimental results. When we plan upgrading the engine performance the engine lubrication system must be considered in the plan. In this paper, engine lubrication system design using computational fluid dynamic analysis was studied. To do this, unsteady transient flow network analysis on the engine oil circuit system was carried out. Finally we discussed the design process in the modified engine lubrication system.

• Tribology and Lubricants
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.9-15
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• 2018

Modern high-performance automotive turbochargers (TCs) implement ceramic hybrid angular contact ball bearings in series with squeeze film dampers (SFDs) to enhance transient responses, thereby reducing the overall emission levels. The current study predicts the rotordynamic responses of the commercial automotive TCs (compressor wheel diameter = ~53 mm, turbine wheel diameter = ~43 mm, and shaft diameter at the bearing locations = ~7 mm) supported on ball bearings and SFDs for various design parameters of SFDs, including radial clearance, axial length, lubricant viscosity, and rotor imbalance conditions (i.e., amplitudes and phase angles) while increasing rotor speed up to 150 krpm. This study validates the predictive rotor finite element model against measurements of mass, polar and transverse moments of inertia, and free-free mode natural frequencies and mode shapes. A nonlinear rotordynamic model integrates nonlinear force coefficients of SFDs to calculate the transient responses of the TC rotor-bearing system. The predicted results show that SFD radial clearances, as well as phase angles of rotor imbalances, have the paramount effect on the dynamic responses of TC shaft motions.

• Tribology and Lubricants
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• v.34 no.6
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• pp.307-312
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• 2018

Unlike a typical static seals, spring-energized static seals exhibit improvement in leak-tightness by reinforcing the spring inside the aluminum lining. Thus, spring-energized static seals are widely used in various industrial fields, such as aerospace, semiconductors, and petrochemical industries. The primary objective of this study is to develop design guidelines for spring-energized static seals in a wide range of temperatures, including that of cryogenic environments, by analyzing the required performance and influence of design variables through simulations. There are various parameters that can be controlled to design a leak-tight seal. In this study, the finite element analysis (FEA) is performed by controlling the parameters related to the spring and the thickness of the aluminum lining, and the result of the leakage between the seal and the casing is confirmed. Considering the influence of each parameters, all of them are found to be important. However, it is observed that the spring-related variables are more important than the aluminum lining or other variables when complexity is considered. We can identify the threshold value of spring stiffness that changes leak-tight performance of the seal by performing FEA. Simulation results, under the conditions that are considered in this study, show that spring stiffness should be at least 3.6 N/m to maintain leak-tightness caused by the sufficient contact force between the aluminum lining and the upper and lower casings.

• Tribology and Lubricants
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• v.35 no.5
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• pp.310-316
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• 2019

This paper presents two methods for designing a high-speed air spindle operated over the rotational speed of 50,000 rpm. The first method is an approximate method, which assumes a symmetric spindle shape even though it is not symmetric in reality. The second is an analysis of rotordynamics using beam and solid models. The approximate method can be used to calculate the bearing load capacities, stiffness and damping coefficients, stability of the shaft system, and response of the forced excitation from the unbalanced mass. Designers can use this method to determine the dimensions of the desired spindle at the first stage of the design. The more detailed behavior of the spindle can be calculated using the rotordynamics theory using beam and solid models based on the Finite Element Method. In this paper, a spindle, with two air bearings, one motor at the end, and two air thrust bearings, is newly developed. The solutions from the two rotordynamics theories are compared with the solution obtained using the approximate method. The three calculations are in agreement, and the procedure for the design of a spindle system, supported on the externally pressurized air bearings, ispresented and discussed.

• Tribology and Lubricants
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.53-62
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• 2022

This study presents experimental measurements of the rotordynamic performance of a motor-driven small turbocompressor supported by gas beam foil journal bearings (GBFJBs) and compares the test results with the predictions of a computational model. The experiments confirmed that the rotational synchronous frequency component dominates the behavior of the overall rotor vibrations, whereas the nonsynchronous components are insignificant, indicating the rotor-bearing system remains stable up to 100 krpm. The undamped natural frequency and imbalanced response of the rotor-bearing system are predicted when integrating the finite element model of the rotor-bearing system with the predictions of the bearing dynamic coefficients. The results are in good agreement with the experimental results. In addition, base excitation test results show that the small turbocompressor can endure large external forces and demonstrate limited rotor amplitudes. A simple single degreeof-freedom rotor model using the nonlinear stiffness of the GBFJBs can effectively predict the test results.