Calculation of a spiral groove thrust bearing of constant depth with boundary element method (BEM)

As the pressure control equation (i.e. Renold's Equation) is transformed into Laplace's Equation, the pressure distribution is solved by using BEM. Hence the step numbers of algebraic equation group are effectively dropped, the calculation time is greatly decreased and the precision of calculation result is improved. A spiral groove thrust bearing of constant depth was chosen here as an example of the application of BEM. The treatment of boundary conditions was introduced and the influences of dimensional parameters on bearing performances, such as load-carrying capacity, flow rate as well as frictional torque, were discussed. Satisfactory results were also presented.