Analysis of Thermo-Hydrodynamic Lubrication of Three-Lobe Semi-Floating Ring Bearing Considering Temperature–Viscosity Effect and Static Pressure Flow

Abstract

High-power diesel engine turbochargers predominantly utilize floating ring bearings as their primary supporting components. To further enhance their load capacity, multi-lobe noncircular bearings have been progressively employed. This study focuses on the investigation of noncircular three-lobe SFRBs (semi-floating ring-bearing structures) in marine turbochargers. Employing the half-step center Finite Difference Method (FDM) and the Newton–Raphson iterative procedure, the impact of operational parameters such as the journal speed, external load, oil supply pressure, and oil supply temperature on the static and dynamic characteristics of the inner oil film is analyzed. Subsequently, the accuracy of the theoretical model is validated through a comparative analysis of simulation results obtained from Dyrobes and Fluent. The findings indicate that as the oil supply pressure and temperature increase, the temperature rise and maximum oil film pressure of the three-lobe SFRBs gradually decrease, while the oil film thickness progressively increases, thereby significantly improving the lubrication state. The load capacity of the three-lobe SFRBs is primarily sustained by the bottom tile, where wall friction is most likely to occur. Additionally, within the actual speed range, the stiffness and damping of the three-lobe SFRBs exhibit noticeable nonlinear characteristics.

Keywords

• three-lobe SFRBs
• thermo-hydrodynamic (THD)
• static performance
• dynamic coefficients
• operating parameters