Hydrodynamic Analysis of Journal Bearings with Structural Inertia and Elasticity by a Modal Finite Element Method

An elastohydrodynamic lubrication model is presented for the coupled problem of a hydrodynamic lubricating fluid in an elastic structure that includes structural inertia. The problem is formulated and the governing equations solved with the finite element method for a realistic journal bearing subject to dynamic loading. Comparisons with an existing model that neglects structural inertia agree excellently for the realistic bearing considered, showing that structural inertia can often be neglected without significant loss of accuracy. However, the new model presented can capture important effects of structural inertia for special problems, is conceptually simple, and exhibits significant improvements over existing methods with respect to numerical stability and speed.

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