Experimental study of lubricant film behaviour subject to periodic loading

Abstract

The dynamic loading in hydrodynamic bearings and squeeze film dampers submits the lubricant film to periodical squeeze actions. These solicitations have an effect on the film load-carrying capacity and can lead to its rupture (cavitation). In the present experimental study, we achieve a quantitative measure of the effect of geometric and kinematic parameters of the non-conforming contact on the hydrodynamic load-carrying capacity. On the designed test rig, the contact geometry, the average film thickness, the oscillations amplitude and frequency can be varied. The measured load-carrying capacity is compared to numerical predictions. The numerical results are in good agreement with the experimental data. Several oil film rupture modes have been observed. Each mode depends on the oscillations frequency, the oil bath height in the tank and the surface geometry.

Cavitation in oscillatory porous squeeze film: a numerical approach

“…Bertocchi et al (2013) extended the commonly used cavitation algorithm to include the effects of fluid compressibility, piezo viscosity and non-Newtonian behavior of the lubricant and applied it to analyse the two-dimensional problems. Hajjam and Bonneau (2007) and Zarbane et al (2011Zarbane et al ( , 2013 presented a numerical and experimental study on the behavior of the nonporous squeeze film under periodic loading. Their theoretical study was based on the modified Elrod cavitation algorithm (Elrod, 1981).…”