Externally Pressurized Thrust Spherical Bearing Performance Under Variable Lubricant Viscosity (Un-recessed Clearance Type)

In a previous study handling this subject, a series of six papers has been published covering the fitted type (equal radii of this sort of bearings) with its configurations in details. The present study handles the same subject investigating the clearance type of this sort of bearings starting with the un-recessed one. The clearance type of bearings, where the sphere radius is smaller than that of the seat, provides plenty of complications and great divergence in its behavior compared with the fitted one. The study investigates theoretically the bearing behavior under the lubricant viscosity variation in the presence of the centripetal inertia due to the shaft rotation and the surface roughness. Solutions have been derived for the un-recessed clearance type of bearings with hemispherical and partial hemispherical seats in addition to its two special cases using capillary tube and orifice restrictors. Unlike other studies, using the conventional integration (i.e., without using the Sommerfeld substitution), only one equation with one form for the pressure gradient is derived to cover the positive and negative eccentricity ratios. Expressions for the pressure distribution, temperature distribution in turn the temperature rise, load carrying capacity; volume flow rate, frictional torque, friction factor, power losses and stiffness factor are obtained. The study shows the combined effects of the viscosity variation, the centripetal inertia and the surface roughness on the bearing performance. The optimum design (with constant viscosity) based on the minimum power losses, minimum flow rate and the optimal restrictor dimensions, in a previous study is checked where it is found out that designing this type of bearings on such basis only is not sufficient in despite of the bearing consistency. A natural dynamic phenomenon ignored in the previous study is revealed and briefly touched.