Elastohydrodynamic analysis of one-layered journal bearings
Steady state and dynamic solutions to the problem of isothermal elastohydrodynamic lubrication of single-layered journal bearings are derived and presented. The mathematical problem comprises two parts: fluid and elasticity. The elasticity problem is governed by the elastostatic equations which are solved by application of a complex variable approach using the complex Kolosov-Muskhelishvili potentials. The fluid problem is described by the two-dimensional Reynolds equation which is discretized using a finite difference approach and solved by application of the Gauss-Seidel scheme with the Swift-Stieber boundary conditions. The fluid-structure coupling is achieved by an iterative procedure with an under-relaxation algorithm. The dynamic coefficients are obtained by use of a first-order perturbation approach. The results obtained show that the proposed elasticity model permits a fast solution of the problem, particularly under dynamic conditions. They also show that, under the effect of coating elastic deformation, the contact geometry is modified and the load-carrying capacity decreases while the stability margin of the journal bearing system increases.