Floating Conditions of the Pads in Fluid Pivot Journal Bearing

Abstract

Fluid pivot journal bearing (FPJB) used on the ships was selected as the object of the study in this paper. The ability to form a squeeze film following the recess area ratio of the pad is systematically investigated under the condition that the preload factor and the eccentricity ratio change. Three positions of the load’s characteristic for the moving conditions of boats on the water are considered. Numerical methods are used to calculate the dynamic lubrication in bearing. Equilibrium conditions of force and moment are used to determine the floating conditions of the pads. The results show that during working process, the pad directly applied by the external force satisfies the floating condition, while the remaining pads are satisfied only when the preload factor and eccentricity ratio increase. In the early stages, the pad mostly float on one side. Floating condition curves are constructed as the basis for determining the optimal recess area.