Influence of Texture Geometry on the Hydrodynamic Performances of Parallel Bearings

It has been proven experimentally that surface texturing represents a viable solution for increasing the load-carrying capacity of parallel fluid bearings. Along with several load-supporting mechanisms that have been identified in the literature, the texture geometry remains an important feature. With the main objective of evaluating the effects of the texture geometry, a mass-conserving model is employed. While avoiding the use of the bulk modulus β, the algorithm also deals with the cavitation phenomenon and provides rapid and accurate results. For given operating conditions (supply pressure, surface speed, or lubricant viscosity), essential geometrical features such as size, density, and shape are analyzed in detail. In terms of load support and friction, the results reveal a strong dependence between certain parameters such as the texture cell number and dimple depth, and an increase in the texture density has beneficial effects in most cases. With regard to shape, the influence of this feature proves to be more significant in the case of single-grooved bearings than in the case of textures.