Dynamic Performance of Oil-Lubricated Helical Groove Journal Bearings

Abstract

The provision of helical grooves on the surface of a plain journal bearing can, in principle, improve the stability of a rotor-bearing system. The improvement, however, depends on the arrangement of the grooves along the axial length of the bearing. In order to verify this, three types of helical groove bearing with different groove arrangements and a reference plain journal bearing were studied. The bearings were studied in a specially designed test rig. A computer model was also developed to predict the performance of the bearings studied. The experimental and theoretical results produced during the course of the studies show that at the expense of a reduced load capacity the helical groove bearings are more stable, particularly at low eccentricity ratios. For a given eccentricity ratio and speed the symmetrical bearing operates at higher temperature and with greater power losses than the other three bearings tested. At the same eccentricity ratio and speed, the asymmetrical bearing runs at about the same temperature as the plain journal bearing.