The behavior of shafts with journal bearings depends to a large extent on the static and dynamic properties of the lubricating film and the lubricating condition in the journal bearings. Elastohydrodynamics (EHD) can be used in combination with a mixed friction model to simulate the formation of a lubricating film with mixed and fluid friction.
By integrating the journal bearing module of Tribo-X (www.tribo-technologies.com/en/tribo-x) into Ansys Workbench, the extension Tribo-X inside Ansys was developed, which enables the convenient calculation of lubricated journal bearings in Ansys Mechanical. The basis of the bearing analysis is the CAD bearing model, in which the gap area is automatically detected. All information relevant for the operation, such as load, speed or lubricant data, is entered directly in Ansys Mechanical. The analysis of load capacity and friction can be done statically or transiently. Through parameterization, automated sensitivity and optimization analyses of the bearing can be carried out. These analyses can be supported by Ansys DesignXplorer and Ansys optiSLang.
Highlights
- short calculation times despite high degree of detailing
- bearing analysis is based on a CAD model
- fully parametric workflow
- automatic detection of the lubrication gap geometry for any bearing contours, including consideration of manufacturing and wear profiles
- consideration of elastic deformations of the bearing and their effect on the gap geometry
- lubricant supply via end faces, bores, pockets or circumferential grooves
- static and transient bearing calculation
- complete mapping of the Stribeck curve by consideration of mixed friction
- laminar and turbulent flow
- mass-conserving cavitation
- identification of speed and load-dependent bearing coefficients