Rigidity and damping characteristics of hydrodynamic sliding bearing with deformable working surfaces

The model of a hydrodynamic sliding bearing has been developed that takes into consideration the effect of the deformation of sliding surfaces on the bearing characteristics. The deformations of the sliding surfaces are determined when solving the problem of elastohydrodynamic contact of the journal and bearing with account for the pressure in the lubricating film. Variation in the clearance size at the deformation of the bearing and shaft surfaces is found by iterations when solving jointly the problems of lubricant flow and working surface deformation. Elastic deformations of the working surfaces are calculated using a two-dimensional boundary element model and a three-dimensional finite element model of the shaft and bearing. The method of finite elements is applied to calculate the parameters of lubricant flow in the bearing based on the solution of Reynolds equation in the disturbed form. The rigidity and damping characteristics of the sliding bearing with the deformable surfaces are compared to those of the bearing with the rigid surfaces; the results of the two-dimensional model of bearing deformation are compared to those of the three-dimensional one.