Stiffness and Damping Coefficients of 8-lobe Journal Bearings

Abstract

High-speed rotating machinery, such as steam turbines, turbo-compressors, pumps, turbo pumps, accelerating gearboxes contain multilobe journal bearings. The bearings with 8 lobes are applied in bearing system of grinding spindle. The reasons for the application of such bearings are not too high temperatures of bearing operation and specific static and dynamic characteristics. Stiffness and damping coefficients of 8-lobe journal bearings with cylindrical and multilobe profile of lobes were calculated by means of perturbation method. Different values of bearing length to diameter ratio, relative clearance and lobe relative clearance were assumed. Reynolds', energy and viscosity equations were solved by means of iterative procedure. Adiabatic oil film, laminar flow in the bearing gap and aligned orientation of journal in the bearing were considered.