Numerical analysis of plain journal bearing under hydrodynamic lubrication by water

The article aims to provide references for designing water-lubricated plain journal bearings. Considering the differences between the physical properties of the water and of the oil, the effects of eccentricity ratio on pressure distribution of water film are analyzed by computational fluid dynamics (CFD). Then numerical analysis of journal bearings with different dimensions is undertaken under different rotational speeds. Based on the analysis, a reference is produced for selecting the initial diameter dimension which is used to design an efficient water-lubricated plain bearing under the given load and rotational speed. At last, the reference is verified by an experimental case. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.