Mitchell Pad Bearing Laboratory ENB434 Tribology

Aaron Palm 07565887

Queensland University of Technology

MITCHELL PAD BEARING LABORATORY 1

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION MATERIALS AND METHODS RESULTS DISCUSSION CONCLUSION APPENDICES 3 3 4 8 9 10

Figure 1 ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________3 Figure 2 ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________4 Figure 3 ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________5 Figure 4 ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________6 Figure 5 ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________6 Figure 6 ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________7 Figure 7 ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________7 Table 1 .......................................................................................................................................................................................................... 5 Table 2 .......................................................................................................................................................................................................... 5

MITCHELL PAD BEARING LABORATORY 2

Introduction
Viscosity is commonly regarded as the most important rheological property of a fluid lubricant. The viscosity is a measure of a fluids resistance to the shearing motion induced in the fluid by an external force. This becomes increasingly significant when the lubricant is used to separate two surfaces of adequate geometries that are under load, moving at a relative velocity to one another. Such a phenomenon is known as hydrodynamic lubrication, where the two surfaces are know as a runner and bearing. The runner is wetted by the fluid lubricant and moves at a relative velocity to the bearing. For a linear pad bearing, the fluid is squeezed between the runner and bearing where the bearing is inclined at a specific angle to generate sufficient fluid pressures to support the load that forces the two surfaces together. In conjunction with this, the relative velocity between the two surfaces must also be of a sufficient magnitude to generate adequate hydrodynamic fluid thicknesses. This experiment will evaluate the effects on the fluid pressure when the velocity of the runner, inclination or wedge angle and the trailing edge film thickness are varied in separate instances.

Materials and Methods

The experiment consists of a belt acting as a runner, traveling at a relative velocity beneath a height-adjustable rectangular pad. The rectangular pad has a B/L ratio of 1, signifying that the linear pad bearing is square. To measure the fluid pressure across the longitudinal and transverse planes of the bearing, 13 calibrated manometer tubes where separated in a linear fashion across the pad, 7 longitudinal and 7 transverse, where a common tube was placed at the intersection of both planes. By recording the pressures at each point, the effects of the speed of the belt and the heights of the leading and trailing edges of the pad when varied can be evaluated.

Figure 1

MITCHELL PAD BEARING LABORATORY 3

Results
The pressure profile in the longitudinal direction for varying inclination angles is illustrated in Figure 2.
1400.00 1200.00 Pressure (Pa) 1000.00 800.00 600.00 400.00 200.00 0.00 0.0 20.0 40.0 60.0 x-displacement (mm)
Figure 2

2 2.2 3 4

80.0

100.0

By observing the transverse pressure profiles of the pad bearing obtained it is illustrated that the bearing experienced an ample amount of side leakage,
1400.00 1200.00 1000.00 Pressure (Pa) 800.00 600.00 400.00 200.00 0.00 0.0 20.0 40.0 60.0 y-displacement (mm) 80.0 100.0 2 2.2 3 4

MITCHELL PAD BEARING LABORATORY 4

To determine the load capacity of the fluid, the trapezoidal integration method is adopted and is applied to each of the 8 segments across the entire length bearing to determine the longitudinal pressure profiles per unit length. This result is in respect to x and multiplied by the length of the bearing to determine the load capacity for each segment. The summation of these segments provides the total experimental load capacity, illustrated in the following table.
Table 1

Part A 1 Experimental Load Capacity 0.000 2 7.573 3 7.530 4 7.350 5 6.577

Part B 6 5.010 7 12.995 8 7.435

Part C 9 14.98 6 10 3.103

To determine the amount of side leakage experienced by the real bearing, the theoretical load capacity of an infinite linear pad bearing is determined and the two are compared,

Further, infinite linear pad bearing theory assumes that the bearing undergoes no side leakage, where the fluid only flows along the longitudinal direction. The load capacity is defined numerically by, [ (
Table 2

Part A 1 Theoretical Load Capacity SLF 0.000 0.000 2 10.760 0.704 3 10.804 0.697 4 10.006 0.735 5 8.370 0.786

Part B 6 6.956 0.720 7 19.763 0.658 8 10.828 0.687

Part C 9 29.206 0.513 10 4.098 0.757

Where the relationship between the convergence ratio and experimental load capacity,
12.000 Load Capacity (N) 10.000 8.000 6.000 4.000 2.000 0.000 0 1 1.2 2 Convergence Ratio
Figure 3

Experimental Theoretical

MITCHELL PAD BEARING LABORATORY 5

The following illustrates the relationship between the pressure and longitudinal and transverse positions across the bearing, at two velocities, at constant convergence and height ratios.
2500.00 2000.00 Pressure (Pa) 1500.00 1000.00 500.00 0.00 0.0 mm 0.1220 m/s 0.3466 m/s

20.0 mm

40.0 mm 60.0 mm x-displacement

Figure 4

80.0 mm

100.0 mm

2000.00 1800.00 1600.00 Pressure (Pa) 1400.00 1200.00 1000.00 800.00 600.00 400.00 200.00 0.00 0.0 mm 20.0 mm 40.0 mm 60.0 mm y-displacement
Figure 5

0.1220 m/s 0.3466 m/s

80.0 mm

100.0 mm

MITCHELL PAD BEARING LABORATORY 6

The following expresses the linear relationship between pressure and velocity at point 5 on along the longitudinal axis.
2500.00

2000.00 Pressure (Pa)

1500.00 5

1000.00

500.00

0.00 0.0 m/s 0.1 m/s 0.1 m/s 0.2 m/s 0.2 m/s 0.3 m/s 0.3 m/s 0.4 m/s 0.4 m/s Runner Velocity
Figure 6

The relationship between the load capacity and the bearing height, with a constant convergence ratio is given below.
16.000 14.000 Load Capacity (N) 12.000 10.000 8.000 6.000 4.000 2.000 0.000 0.00 mm 0.20 mm 0.40 mm 0.60 mm 0.80 mm 1.00 mm h0 (mm) Series1

Figure 7

MITCHELL PAD BEARING LABORATORY 7

Discussion
The results from each experiment relay certain characteristics that are necessary to determine the effects that velocity, wedge angle and the fluid thickness have on the fluids capability to support load. By observing the longitudinal pressure profiles it is illustrated that by increasing the height of the leading edge, in result adjusting the wedge angle, the pressure profile move towards the trailing edge of the pad with the peak pressure also increasing. It may also be noted that for a convergence ratio of 0, where the two surfaces are parallel to one another, there is no pressure created. This result highlights the requirement of some angle between the runner and bearing pad to generate pressure. For an infinite linear pad bearing, as seen in figure 3 the peak load capacity occurs when the convergence ratio is at 1.2, where the convergence ratio of 1 holds the highest load capacity marginally over the convergence ratio of 1.2 for the experimental results, which may be a result of experimental error. By increasing the convergence ratio the load capacity depletes as seen in Figure 3. Therefore, a rigid pad bearing would only be applicable for certain operating conditions, as the wedge angle cannot be adjusted, where an adjustable pad bearing allows the pad to pivot, thus adjusting the wedge angle. Such bearings are designed to retain a convergence ratio of 1.2, where an increase in velocity as seen in Figure 4, would move the peak pressure towards the trailing edge. Further, with a correctly placed pivot point, the pad will adhere to this increase in pressure and adjust itself to an appropriate angle, producing a convergence ratio of 1.2. The theoretical load capacity of an infinite linear pad bearing which assumes no side leakage was determined and compared to the experimental load capacity of the short, square bearing. Naturally, the peak pressure of the short bearing should be lower than the infinite bearing as it encounters side leakage and is illustrated in the results. Further, the SLF is not only affected by the geometry of the bearing and is also dramatically affected by increasing the velocity as portrayed in Figure 5. For a typical square linear pad bearing the SLF is 0.44, where experimental results may be within the range of 0.3 and 0.6. However, the range of SLF values found in this experiment varied from 0.51 to 0.79, suggesting that the side leakage factor is less than that of a typical square pad bearing, tending towards an infinite linear pad bearing or long bearing. The theory behind an infinite linear pad bearing outlines that the amount of flow in the longitudinal direction is infinitely greater than that in the transverse direction, rendering side leakage negligible. In the experiment however, the runner was in fact, much wider than the pad bearing, in result causing fluid to pass around the bearing surface rather than underneath. This in result would constrain the fluid flow constrained by the pad bearing in the transverse direction, thus creating the impression that the pad bearing was not a square or short bearing, and rather a long, infinite linear bearing. In real pad bearings, the clearance between surfaces is often 0.005 mm. As illustrated in the Figure 7, as the fluid thickness decreases and approaches 0, the load capacity approaches infinity, due to an infinite increase in pressure. Such clearances would render pressures capable of supporting large runner velocities and normal loads. MITCHELL PAD BEARING LABORATORY 8

Reynolds theory of hydrodynamic lubrication makes several assumptions, one of them being that the fluid constrained beneath the pad bearing is laminar. To determine whether the flow is laminar or not, the Reynolds number was determined (Appendices). It was found that the highest Reynolds number out of all the experiments 0.029 which is much smaller than the laminar Reynolds number limit of 2300, verifying that the Reynolds theory assumptions are valid.

Conclusion
The objective of the experiment was to evaluate the effects on the fluid pressure when the velocity of the runner, inclination angle and the trailing edge film thickness are varied in separate instances. It was conclusive that each of these effect the magnitude of the pressure across the pad bearing as well as the placement of the peak pressure, while also effecting factors such as side leakage. By determining that the location and magnitude of the pressures beneath the pad bearing vary with operating conditions, it was found that the fixed pad bearing is not applicable. Further, it was concluded that an adjustable pad bearing could be employed where the pivot point depends on the convergence ratio, remaining independent of the operating conditions.

MITCHELL PAD BEARING LABORATORY 9

Appendices
Part A 3 0.281 0.683 0.921 1.149 1.329 1.398 1.234 0.535 Part B 4 0.217 0.551 0.784 1.027 1.260 1.435 1.414 0.662 5 0.143 0.381 0.583 0.816 1.091 1.361 1.472 0.731 6 0.185 0.455 0.620 0.763 0.874 0.927 0.826 0.360 7 0.471 1.176 1.620 2.007 2.288 2.383 2.118 0.932 8 0.275 0.678 0.921 1.144 1.308 1.366 1.213 0.530 Part C 9 0.492 1.271 1.832 2.319 2.637 2.754 2.531 1.149

Load Capacity segments

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

1 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000

2 0.297 0.731 0.985 1.197 1.329 1.356 1.176 0.503

10 0.000 0.180 0.408 0.508 0.588 0.609 0.556 0.254

Total Load Capacity

0.000 7.573 7.530 7.350 6.577 5.010 12.995 7.435 14.986 3.103

MITCHELL PAD BEARING LABORATORY 10

Part A Test Number h1 h0 k (h1/h0) K (h1-h0)/h0 U T Manometer Heights/Pressure 1 2 x direction 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 y direction 10 11 12 13 12.5 mm 25.0 mm 37.5 mm 50.0 mm 62.5 mm 75.0 mm 87.5 mm 12.5 mm 25.0 mm 37.5 mm 50.0 mm 62.5 mm 75.0 mm 1 0.50 mm 0.50 mm 1 0 0.1876 m/s 24.50 C 0.09 Pas 107.00 cSt 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.00 0.00 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 56 82 104 122 129 127 95 75 109 122 127 122 105 76 2 1.00 mm 0.50 mm 2 1 0.1832 m/s 24.50 C 0.09 Pas 107.00 cSt 474.48 694.78 881.18 1033.69 1093.00 1076.06 804.93 635.47 923.55 1033.69 1076.06 1033.69 889.65 643.94 53 76 98 119 132 132 101 77 113 129 132 126 109 79 3 1.10 mm 0.50 mm 2.2 1.2 0.1824 m/s 24.50 C 0.09 Pas 107.00 cSt 449.06 643.94 830.34 1008.27 1118.42 1118.42 855.76 652.41 957.44 1093.00 1118.42 1067.59 923.55 669.36 41 63 85 109 129 142 125 84 123 139 142 136 118 84 4 1.50 mm 0.50 mm 3 2 0.1830 m/s 24.50 C 0.09 Pas 107.00 cSt 347.39 533.79 720.20 923.55 1093.00 1203.15 1059.11 711.72 1042.17 1177.73 1203.15 1152.31 999.80 711.72 1203.15 1203.15 100.0 mm 100.0 mm 0.011 0.017 0.027 0.011 27 45 65 89 117 140 138 85 124 139 140 132 114 81 5 2.00 mm 0.50 mm 4 3 0.1823 m/s 24.50 C 0.09 Pas 107.00 cSt 228.77 381.28 550.74 754.09 991.33 1186.21 1169.26 720.20 1050.64 1177.73 1186.21 1118.42 965.91 686.30 35 51 66 78 87 88 68 53 75 85 88 84 73 54 6

Part B 7 1.10 mm 0.50 mm 2.2 1.2 0.3466 m/s 25.00 C 0.09 Pas 103.00 cSt 89 133 173 206 226 224 176 127 188 219 224 215 185 132 754.09 1126.90 1465.81 1745.42 1914.87 1897.93 1491.23 1076.06 1592.90 1855.56 1897.93 1821.67 1567.49 1118.42 52 76 98 118 129 129 100 76 110 126 129 124 107 77 8 1.10 mm 0.50 mm 2.2 1.2 0.1828 m/s 24.50 C 0.09 Pas 107.00 cSt 440.59 643.94 830.34 999.80 1093.00 1093.00 847.29 643.94 932.02 1067.59 1093.00 1050.64 906.60 652.41 1.10 mm 0.50 mm 2.2 1.2 0.1220 m/s 25.00 C 0.09 Pas 103.00 cSt 296.55 432.12 559.21 660.89 737.14 745.61 576.16 449.06 635.47 720.20 745.61 711.72 618.52 457.54 745.61 745.61

Part C 9 0.66 mm 0.30 mm 2.2 1.2 0.1775 m/s 24.50 C 0.09 Pas 107.00 cSt 93 147 199 239 259 261 217 139 209 250 261 254 213 160 787.98 1245.52 1686.11 2025.02 2194.48 2211.43 1838.62 1177.73 1770.84 2118.22 2211.43 2152.12 1804.73 1355.66 0 34 43 53 58 57 48 36 51 57 57 55 48 35 10 1.76 mm 0.80 mm 2.2 1.2 0.1840 m/s 25.00 C 0.09 Pas 103.00 cSt 0.00 288.08 364.33 449.06 491.43 482.96 406.70 305.02 432.12 482.96 482.96 466.01 406.70 296.55 491.43 482.96

Maximum

14 87.5 mm x direction y direction

1093.00 1076.06 Geometry B L 0.010

1118.42 1118.42

1186.21 1186.21

1914.87 1897.93

1093.00 1093.00

2211.43 2211.43

Fluid Properties Density @ 15C Reynolds Number 863.7 0.004

0.004

0.029

0.008

0.022

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