Comparison of Different Hydrodynamic Bearings
Application ID: 43531
This example demonstrates how you can use modeling to investigate the performance of different hydrodynamic journal bearings. The model uses the Hydrodynamic Bearing interface, which solves the Reynolds equation to compute the pressure developed in a thin fluid film for four different bearing types: cylindrical, elliptical, split-halves, and multilobe.
Results include the fluid pressure profile on the bearings, plots of journal eccentricity versus load, the steady-state position of the journals, and the fluid thickness profile when the journal is concentric with the bearing. Moreover, fluid pressure and fluid velocity profiles are also plotted as surfaces unwrapped from the bearing.
In the tutorial, we compare variations in the equilibrium journal position and thickness profile of the fluid film. By comparing these quantities, we can find the optimal bearing under similar operating conditions.
This model example illustrates applications of this type that would nominally be built using the following products:
however, additional products may be required to completely define and model it. Furthermore, this example may also be defined and modeled using components from the following product combinations:
The combination of COMSOL® products required to model your application depends on several factors and may include boundary conditions, material properties, physics interfaces, and part libraries. Particular functionality may be common to several products. To determine the right combination of products for your modeling needs, review the Specification Chart and make use of a free evaluation license. The COMSOL Sales and Support teams are available for answering any questions you may have regarding this.