CFD Analysis of Hydrodynamic Journal Bearing with Rectangular Top Inlet

Journal bearings have wider range of applications owing to their theoretically infinite life span and high load carrying capacity at high speeds. An accurate performance prediction of journal bearing will lead to longer bearing life and reduced energy losses. In this work CFD analysis is used to simulate the fluid flow in a journal bearing. With help of advanced computational facilities and dedicated software tools hydrodynamic action of journal bearing can be predicted more accurately. This work simulates a journal bearing with a top inlet as close to the practical cases. Top inlet case for various eccentricities, operating speeds, and lubricants are simulated in this work. Pressure and temperature profiles and contours of the respective bearings are presented. Simulated results can be adopted for designing a bearing with top inlet.