Analysis of elliptical dam bearing lubricated with micropolar fluid

Abstract

Purpose This paper aims to evaluate the theoretical performance of elliptical dam bearing (EDB). The objective of this paper is to study the influence of eccentricity ratio, dam parameters and micropolarity parameters on the stability of EDB with respect to micropolar lubrication. Design/methodology/approach In this study, the modified Reynolds’ equation for dynamic state is solved using the finite element method and Galerkin technique. A MATLAB code is written to compute pressure and stability and also to analyse the characteristics. The stability parameters of an EDB are computed for selected values of eccentricity ratios at four levels in the range of 0.20 to 0.35 and for length-diameter ratio of 2.0. Findings The results from stability analysis reveal that micropolar lubricated EDB provides better stability at smaller material length due to increased effective viscosity. Hence, it is better to select the smaller characteristic length and higher dam width to achieve optimum performance of these bearings. Originality/value Very few researchers investigated the effects of working eccentricity, bearing dam and micropolar fluid parameters on the EDB in the past. It is important to study these aspects for optimum performance of bearings.