Bearing - Multi-Lobe Hydrodynamic Bearing

Multi-Lobe Hydrodynamic Bearing

This option allows you to include a multi-lobe bearing which is solved in a complete 2D Reynolds equation coupled with the shaft elastic equations. For more information on the bearing theory, refer to the book titled Introduction to Dynamics of Rotor-Bearing Systems by Chen and Gunter (2005). Note that by selecting this bearing type, only transient analysis can be performed. The rotor elastic equations are coupled with the nonlinear Reynolds equations for the bearings.

For bearing Type 12, the pads must be identical and the bearing data are entered in this input page as shown below. The angles used to describe the lobe arc are measured from +X axis. The bearing clearance for each pad is continuous and only pressure is the unknown for each finite element node in the Reynolds equation.

For bearing Type 13, it can be any fixed lobe geometric bearing as defined in BePerf. The bearing clearance can be discontinuous in this bearing type and a total of 3 DOFs (pressure and pressure gradients) are defined for each finite element node in the Reynolds equation.