Application of Rabinowitsch Fluid Model to Pivoted Curved Slider Bearings

Abstract

In the present theoretical analysis, the combined effects of slider curvature and non-Newtonian pseudoplastic and dilatant lubricants (lubricant blended with viscosity index improver) on the steady and dynamic characteristics of pivoted curved slider bearings have been investigated for Rabinowitsch fluid model. The modified Reynolds equations have been obtained for steady and damping states of bearing. To solve the modified Reynolds equations, perturbation theory has been adopted. The results for the steady state characteristics (steady state film pressure, load carrying capacity and centre of pressure) and dynamic characteristics (dynamic damping and dynamic stiffness) have been calculated numerically for various values of viscosity index improver using Mathematica. In comparison with the Newtonian lubricants, higher values of film pressure, load carrying capacity, dynamic damping and dynamic stiffness have been obtained for dilatant lubricants, while the case was reversed for pseudoplastic lubricants. Significant variations in the bearing characteristics have been observed for even small values of pseudoplastic parameter, that is, with the non-Newtonian dilatant and pseudoplastic behaviour of the fluid.