Thermoelastohydrodynamic behavior of misaligned plain journal bearings

Under severe operating conditions, the thermal effects and various deformations play an important role in determining the performance of misaligned plain journal bearings. However, the thermal effects and various deformations are rarely considered simultaneously in most studies on the misaligned plain journal bearings. In this article, a comprehensive thermoelastohydrodynamic model of the misaligned plain journal bearings is developed that involves the synthetic solution of the generalized Reynolds equation, three-dimensional energy equation, and heat conduction equations of the solids. Based on this model, series of simulation results are provided to examine the influence of the thermal effects and deformations on the behavior of the misaligned plain journal bearings. In addition, the comparisons between the thermohydrodynamic and complete thermoelastohydrodynamic model are also presented for different misalignment angle and magnitude. Results show that the thermal effects and various deformations should not be ignored because of their significant influence on the film thickness, film pressure as well as other bearings characteristics.