Reproducibility of Gaseous Phase Area on Journal Bearing Utilizing Multi-Phase Flow CFD Analysis under Flooded and Starved Lubrication Conditions

It is important to predict the gaseous phase area of journal bearing. However, a detailed calculation method for such gaseous phase areas has not yet been proposed. In this study, the gaseous-phase areas in small bore journal bearings under flooded and starved lubrication conditions are analyzed in terms of the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) of two-phase flow while using a volume of fluid (VOF) method. Furthermore, the influence of surface tension and vapor pressure conditions were investigated, and the analytical and experimental results were compared. The analytical results of VOF for vapor pressure and surface tension were observed to be consistent with the experimental observations under both flooded and starved lubrication conditions. Furthermore, under starved lubrication condition, the analytical results agree well with the observed results for the interface of the oil film and cavitation upon the rupture of the oil film. While using these results, CFD analysis of the two-phase flow of the VOF can be conducted in terms of vapor pressure and surface tension to estimate the gaseous-phase areas of journal bearings under flooded and starved lubrication conditions.