An Efficient Cavitation Model for Compressible Fluid Film Bearings

This article presents an efficient cavitation model for fluid film bearings, considering both gaseous and vaporous cavitation. This work presents a modification of Elrod’s cavitation algorithm, where the bulk fluid is similarly considered to be a mixture of liquid and bubbles, without the need for a switch function. By solving for properties of the bulk fluid in the film, the distribution of the gaseous, vapor, and liquid states is captured without detailed tracking of bubble dynamics, as well as the variable compressibility of the bulk fluid in both ruptured and full film regions. The model developed is implemented in a numerical algorithm to solve the compressible Reynolds equation. Finally, the approach developed is applied to test cases to demonstrate its potential, as well as for comparison with Elrod’s algorithm.