A Fluid-Structure Interaction Method for the Elastohydrodynamic Lubrication Characteristics of Rubber-Plastic Double-Layer Water-Lubricated Journal Bearings

This paper proposes a fluid-structure interaction (FSI) numerical calculation method for investigation of the elastohydrodynamic lubrication performance of the rubber-plastic double-layer water-lubricated journal bearings. The accuracy and rapidity of the FSI method are improved by studying the effect of mesh density and by comparing the calculation results with those in the literature. Based on the proposed method, a series of numerical simulations are carried out to reveal the influence of operating conditions and structural parameters on the lubrication performance of the rubber-plastic bearings. Numerical results show that the bush deformation of the rubber-plastic bearing is between that of the rubber bearing and the plastic bearing, and the deformation area is close to that of the rubber bearing. The bearing load carrying capacity increases significantly with the rotational speed, eccentricity ratio, bearing length, and decrease with the clearance. But the influences of the plastic layer elastic modulus and thickness on bearing load are unremarkable. The effect of bush deformation on bearing load is noticeable when the eccentricity ratio is more than 0.8. The results are expected to provide design references for the bearings.