Thermo-Hydrodynamic Lubrication Analysis of Slipper Pair Considering Wear Profile

Abstract

The profile of sealing land is a sensitive factor affecting the thermo-hydrodynamic lubrication characteristics of the slipper pair. In this paper, the non-uniform wear of the running surface under the slipper was presented and defined as the boundary condition. Based on the finite volume method and the successive over-relaxation iteration method, a discrete numerical model coupled with the temperature, pressure, and thickness of the oil film was constructed. The Newton and sequential circulation methods were used to solve the coupling equations. The influence of the wear profile on the film thickness, sliding attitude, and leakage were discussed. The analyzed results show that the control of the wear on the outer side of sealing land and the contour vertex position, and the avoidance of the wear on the inner side of sealing land could improve the thermo-hydrodynamic lubrication performance of the slipper pair.

Keywords

• slipper pair
• fluid–thermal–structural coupling
• sliding attitude
• leakage