9

Experiment - 3

Journal Bearing


Aim : To study the pressure distribution under different experimental conditions
(load, speed or clearance) and verify the same theoretically.

Apparatus & Materials : Journal bearing setup, tachometer, weights and lubricating
oil.

Theory :

A journal bearing supports a shaft and permits rotary motion. This causes wear of
surfaces due to friction between the contact surfaces and heat is generated, resulting in
loss of power. To minimise this, lubricating oil is introduced in the clearance between
the journal and the bearing. This provides a thin film, separating the contact surfaces.
The amount of separation depends on the thickness of the film formed. The oil film
formation of sufficient thickness, results from the pressure developed in the annular
space between the bearing and journal surfaces. The magnitude of pressure is a
function of properties of the lubricant, speed of rotation, clearance between the
surface, load on the bearing, dimension of the bearing and oil leakage from the
surfaces.

The study of pressure distribution and variables associated with the bearing can be
used for design purposes.
Reference
axis
Reference axis
AT REST
AT SLOW
ROTATION
OPERATING CONDITION
Fig. 3.1 Effect of Speed on Journal in the Bearing
Bearing
Journal





10


In a Full Journal Bearing, usually the journal rotates while the bearing is held fixed.
Operating characteristics such as load-carrying capacity, friction resistance and
coefficient of friction of a full journal bearing will be discussed in this section. For
analysis of an idealised full journal bearing it is assumed that

(1) There is no end leakage.
(2) The viscosity of the lubricant is constant throughout the film.
(3) The flow is laminar.
(4) There is no slip between the lubricant and bearing surface.
(5) The fluid is an incompressible and a Newtonian liquid.

A schematic representation of a full journal bearing is shown in Figure No. 3.2 The
thickness of the converging-diverging film surrounding the journal is a function of the
radial clearance and the angle | which is the angular distance of the film cross section
considered from the reference line OO

. Figure No. 3.3 shows the unwrapped oil

film. The pressure distribution in this bearing is obtained by solving the Osborne
Reynolds equation.
Sommer field obtained an exact solution for this equation.

Fig. 3.2

e
h
A
B
C
G
H
E
F
D
W
u
u
|
H
G
B
A
F
D
C
E
h
x
2tr
Journal Surface
Bearing Surface


Fig. 3.3
11

The solution is given by the equation :


( )
( )
( )
P P
rU
c n
n n
n
o |
| |
|
=
+

+
+
6
2
2
1
2 2 2
sin cos
cos

(3.1)

P
|
= pressure at any location
P
o
= pressure at the reference point
= viscosity of the oil
r = radius of the bearing
U = tDN/60 = peripheral velocity
N = rpm of journal
c = clearance
n = attitude
| = angle measured from the inlet valve to any given position

Using this equation, we can find the theoretical pressure at any point of interest.


The load carrying capacity of an idealised full journal bearing depends on the film
thickness which in turn depends upon the clearance and the attitude. A relationship
between the external load acting on the journal and the attitude n was first derived
by A.Sommerfield in 1904. For this reason, the dimensionless quantity

S =
( ) ( )
{ }
r c N P n n n
2 2 2 2
2 1 12 t ' = + /
(3.2)

is known as Sommerfield number which is a function of attitude only. From this it
was made possible to determine the minimum film thickness, co-efficient of friction
and to define lightly loaded bearings. The Sommerfield number for lightly loaded
bearing must be at least equal to or greater than 0.15. Also it was found that when the
bearing width becomes about four times greater than the length of the supporting oil
film in the direction of motion, the influence of end leakage may be neglected for all
practical purposes.


Setup Details :

It consists of a journal and bearing assembly connected to a D.C. motor
through a dimmerstat. By this arrangement speed of varying magnitude can be
obtained. The motor and the bearing are fixed on a rigid support. The loading
arrangement consists of a vertical rectangular bar (loading bar) fixed to the bearing.
The bar carries a hook and pan arrangement into which weights can be placed. A
small horizontal bar is attached on to the loading bar which carries balancing weights.
By this arrangement the horizontal bar can be made horizontal during testing or the
loading arm can be made vertical. An oil tank supplies the lubricating oil to the
12
bearing. The oil is fed into the bearing at 45 degrees below the horizontal. The
bearing has 16 pressure tappings, 12 for circumferential and four for axial pressure
distribution. These tappings are connected to flexible tubes which are supported
vertically. These tubes form manometers for reading the pressure. Each of the tubes
is provided with an adjacent scale for measuring the head of oil. The ends of the tubes
are connected to an overflow cylinder and a pipe which conveys the overflown oil to
the oil tank. Fig 3.4 gives the setup details.

Any one of the parameters : Load, speed or clearance can be varied and experiment
carried out.




Fig. 3.4 Test setup of Journal bearing

13

Procedure :

1. Fill the oil tank with lubricating (say SAE-30) oil under test and position the tank
at the desired height.
2. Drain out the air bubbles from all the manometer tubes on the manometer board as
well as from the inlet tubes.
3. Check the level of oil in all the manometer tubes. Ensure that the level of oil is the
same in the supply tank and all the manometer tubes. Note down the initial
manometer reading.
4. Any minor leakage at the end caps may be neglected. But, leakage at any of the
joints should be arrested.
5. Check and ensure that the dimmerstat knob is at zero position.
6. Switch on the motor and note down the direction of rotation.
7. Rotate the dimmerstat knob gradually till the desired speed is reached.
8. Add the desired loads and adjust the balancing weights provided, so that the
loading arm is vertical.
9. Run the set-up at this speed and load, till the oil levels in all the manometer tubes
are in steady state.
10. Note down the pressure of oil in all the manometer tubes and tabulate them.
11. Change the speed or load or clearance and repeat the experiment if necessary.
12. After the experiment is over, remove the loads.
13. Bring down the speed to zero (Dimmerstat position to zero) and switch off the
motor
and the main supply.
14. The difference in manometer pressure at each tapping is plotted as shown.


Steps for plotting pressure distribution graph.(refer Fig. 3.5)

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
O
O'
|
max
inlet
|
i

Fig. 3.5 Polar Plot


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1. Select a suitable scale to plot the pressure distribution curve.
2. With the initial pressure head (difference in pressure head above the center
of bearing) as the radius draw a circle.
3. Divide the circle into 12 equal divisions to represent the location of the
pressure tapping on the bearing along the circumference.
4. Draw radial lines from the center of the circle along these 12 points and
number them sequentially in the CCW, if the rotation of the shaft is in CW
direction and vice versa, starting from the top vertical.
5. Mark the pressure heads along these radial lines corresponding to the
tappings.
6. Join these points with a smooth curve.
7. Mark the direction of rotation of the journal on the figure.
8. Select two points on the curve having equal pressures(approximate) and 180
degrees apart and join them with a straight line passing through the center of
the circle. This is the reference line OO'.
9. From the inlet hole the point of intersection of this line and the pressure
curve, taken in the direction of rotation of the journal is O and the opposite
point is O'.
10. Measure any angle | from this point in the direction of rotation of the
journal.
11. Comment on the result.



Formulae Used :

i) Calculation of attitude n cos|
m
n
n
=

+
3
2
2

where |
m
is the angle measured from reference line to the line of maximum
pressure,
in the direction of rotation.


ii) The Sommerfield equation for calculation of various pressures


( )
( )
( )
P P
rU
C n
n n
n
o |
| |
|
=
+

+
+
6
2
2
1
2 2 2
sin cos
cos


P
|
= Pressure of oil film at any point measured clockwise from the line of
common
centres OO', at an angle of |.
at | = 0 and | = 180
0
, P
|
= P
o



P
o
= Constant manifold pressure in the oil film in journal bearing at the point
when
|=0.

15
| = The angle from the line of centres OO' to any point of interest in the
direction
of rotation around the journal (Clockwise in our case).

r = radius of the journal in mm.

e = angular speed of journal

n = e/c; ( e = eccentricity)

iii) Calculation of pressure head of oil :

h = P/w
where w = specific weight of the oil.

iv) The load carrying capacity of the bearing :

W
r LU
c
=
12
2
2
t

n
n 2
2
+

1
1
2
n


{ where U = (2trn/60)m/s}


v) Calculation of Oil film thickness at any position |

h = c(1+ n cos |)

Observation :

Diameter of the journal : d = mm
Radial clearance : c = mm
Length of bearing : l = mm
Lubricating oil used =
Absolute viscosity of the oil : = NS/m
2

Specific weight of the oil : w = g N/m
3

Fixed weight = weight of journal + weight of vertical bar
+ weight of balancing weights = 32.67 N
Load added =
Total vertical load : W = fixed weight + load added
= N
Height of center of bearing from G.L. = h
b
= 67 mm
Initial manometer reading : h
i
= mm
Speed of journal : N = rpm
Initial pressure head above the bearing center = h
i
- h
b





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Tabular Column

Pressure head above the center of bearing = h
b
= mm

Tube
No.
Final manometer
reading (steady
state)
h
f

mm
Head above
the center of
the bearing
h
act
= (h
f
- h
b
)
mm
P
act
= h
act
x w
Actual pressure


N/m
2

P
theo
= P
|



N/m
2

h
theo




mm
Oil thickness
h=c(1 + n Cos|)


mm
1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.

13.

14.

15.