Rapid solution for analysis of nonlinear fluid film force and dynamic behavior of a tilting-pad journal bearing-rotor system with turbulent and thermal effects

To analyze the nonlinear dynamics of a tilting-pad journal bearing (TPJB)-rotor system with high accuracy and speed, the database method (DM) is modified to rapidly determine the nonlinear fluid film force (NFFF) of a TPJB while considering turbulent and thermal effects. A high-accuracy, large-capacity NFFF database for a single pad is constructed by numerically solving the turbulent adiabatic hydrodynamic model for five equivalent state variables of the journal, which are discretized in the pad coordinates. The remaining variables are not discretized in the DM. A combined linear and parabolic interpolation polynomial based on the database is established to accurately calculate the NFFF of the tilting pads; thus, the NFFF of a four-pad TPJB is obtained in the bearing coordinates. The DM is applied to analyze and compare the nonlinear dynamic behavior of a water-lubricated TPJB-Jeffcott rotor system with and without turbulent and thermal effects. The present DM solution without these effects and the previous DM solution are shown to be consistent. The results demonstrate the importance of the flow regime and the negligibility of temperature increases in the nonlinear dynamics of a water-lubricated TPJB. This work contributes to the accurate and efficient analysis of the nonlinear dynamics of high-speed TPJBs and low-viscosity-fluid-lubricated TPJBs.