Study on the capacity performance of journal bearings with different spiral groove structures by CFD method

Abstract This paper uses the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) method to evaluate the capacity performance of journal bearings with different spiral groove shapes. A detail discussion is conducted to compare the capacity performance of spiral groove journal bearings with different spiral groove depths, widths, numbers, and pitches. For journal bearings with different spiral groove structures, the variation of the load carrying capacity and the oil film pressure with different attitude angles is illustrated. The influence of the spiral groove structures on the pressure distribution of journal bearings is investigated. The presenet research can provide techinal support and references to the design and the capacity performance of journal bearings with the spiral grooves.