TEHD ANALYSIS FOR TILTING-PAD JOURNAL BEARINGS USING UPWIND FINITE-ELEMENT METHOD

A general approach for incorporating heat transfer and elastic deforma tion effects into a tilting-pad journal bearing simulation model is pr esented. A global analysis method is used, which includes variable vis cosity and heat transfer effects in the fluid film, elastic deformatio n and heat conduction effects in the pads, and elastic deformation eff ect in the pivots. The two-dimensional variable viscosity. Reynolds eq uation produces pressure distributions in the axial and circumferentia l directions. The energy equation is two-dimensional, assuming that th e temperature variation in the axial direction is negligible. The elas ticity and heat conduction models are also two-dimensional, being in t he midline cross-section of the bearing, including the circumferential and cross-film directions. An upwind technique is used in the finite element formulation of the energy equation to remove numerical instabi lity due to the convective term. Simulation results are compared with the test and predicted values of previous researchers.