Plain Bearing Report

NAME: OGBU PAUL UCHENNA
DEPARTMENT: MECHANICAL ENGINEERING
MATRIC NO: 110404055
COURSE TITLE: VISCOUS FLOW THEORY
COURSE CODE: MEG 510
GROUP NUMBER: 2
GROUP TOPIC: LUBRICATION OF PLAIN BEARINGS

INTRODUCTION
The use of bearings in machinery fall into two category namely anti-friction or
rolling element bearings and hydrodynamic journal bearings. The primary
function of a bearing is to carry load between a rotor and the case with as little
wear as possible. This bearing function exists in almost
every occurrence of daily life from the watch on your wrist to the automobile
you drive to the disk drive in your computer. In industry, the use of journal
bearings is specialized for rotating machinery both low and high speed. This
report will present the analysis and design of the journal bearings which is
otherwise known as plain bearing and the lubrication employed.
THEORY
The objective of lubrication is to reduce friction and heating of machine parts
that move relative to each other.
TYPES OF LUBRICATION
Five distinct form of lubrication may be identified:
1. Hydrodynamic
2. Hydrostatic
3. Elastohydrodynamic
4. Boundary
5. Solid film
Hydrodynamic lubrication suggests that the load-carrying surfaces of the
bearing are separated by a relatively thick film of lubricant, so as to prevent
metal to metal contact, and the stability thus obtained can be explained by the
laws of fluid mechanics. Hydrodynamic lubrication depends on the existence of
an adequate supply of lubrication at all times rather than having lubrication
under pressure. The film pressure is created by moving surface itself pulling
the lubricant into a wedge-shaped zone at a velocity sufficiently high to create
the pressure necessary to separate the surfaces against the load on the
bearing.
Hydrostatic lubrication is obtained by introducing the lubricant (can be air,
water) into the load-bearing area at a pressure high enough to separate the
surfaces with a relatively thick film of lubricant. In contrast to hydrodynamic
lubrication, this kind of lubrication does not require motion of one surface
relative to another (applicable when velocities are small or zero, where the
frictional resistance is absolute zero).
Elastohydrodynamic lubrication is the phenomenon that occurs when a
lubricant is introduced between surfaces that are in rolling contact, such as
mating gears or rolling bearings. (Uses Hertizian theory of contact stress and
fluid mechanics).
A decrease in viscosity may be due to:
Insufficient area
A drop in the velocity of the moving surface
A lessening in the quantity of lubricant delivered to a bearing
An increase in the bearing load
An increase in lubricant temperature
This may prevent the build-up of a film thick enough for full-film lubrication,
which results in boundary lubrication. The change from hydrodynamic to
boundary is quite slow. When bearing must be operated at extreme
temperature, a solid-film lubricant such as graphite or
molybdenum disulphide must be used because the ordinary mineral oils are
not satisfactory.
One important measure to ensure that conditions for appropriate lubrication
regimes are met is through
defining and calculating the dimensionless film parameter , given the
minimum film thickness (the method of calculating minimum film thickness is
shown in the journal bearing section) and surface roughness of say plain
bearing (refer to ISO 12129-2:1995). The equation to determine (between
shaft and bearing) is as follows
OIL LUBRICATION
Oil are used in journal bearings when cooling is required (or when debris need
to be flushed away from bearing). High speed journal bearing are always
lubricated with oil rather than grease.
OBJECTIVE OF LUBRICATION OIL
The primary function of lubricating oil is to separate surfaces, reduce friction
and absorb heat.
Secondary responsibilities include regulating temperature, flushing
contaminants, controlling corrosion and providing hydro mechanical
performance. Improper lubricating oil type, contaminated oil, poor equipment
operation, poor maintenance or poor component manufacturing reduce the
ability of the lubricating oil to function. These factors can disrupt the
hydrodynamic or elastohydrodynamic (EHD) lubrication film between the
metal surfaces leading to premature wear of the metal surfaces and high
overall operating costs.
When metal-to-metal or particle-to-metal contact exists because of a loss or
interference in the lubricating film, adhesive and abrasive wear occurs. This
generates more friction, heat and wear particles that further contaminate the
oil. Even under ideal conditions of manufacturing, operation and maintenance,
other contaminants, such as dirt and moisture, can get into lubricating oil. If
dirt or silica particles are large enough they can cause interferences between
metal contact surfaces. Moisture, on the other hand, breaks down viscosity
and alters the chemical properties of the oil (Weiksner, 2000).
Analysis of lubricating oil will identify the source of a contaminant, whether
the chemical properties of the oil are intact and if machine wear is occurring. It
is important to be able to relate results of a lubrication analysis to the oil
chemical properties, the various types of metals used in manufacturing the
rotating elements, and the operating conditions of a machine. Controlling oil
cleanliness minimizes the effects solid particle contamination can have on
interfering with the lubricating oil film. It also maintains separation of the
metal surfaces.
When the size of the particulate is greater than the clearance between metal
rotating surfaces, abrasion and fretting of the metal surfaces occurs. Once
abrasion or fretting starts, the lubricant functions are adversely affected and
additional surface damage will result. The continuous contact between
particulate and metal generates additional wear debris and larger particulate.
PLAIN BEARING AND BASIC CONCEPTS

In order to illustrate the basic nomenclature, geometry, and introduce the
ideas of how fluid film bearings work, the simplest bearing called a plain
journal bearing will be examined. Figure 1 is a photograph of a plain bearing. A
steel base material is overlaid with a Babbitt material and bored to a circular
diameter equal to the shaft diameter plus the desired clearance. Scallops are
cut at the split line to admit oil.
At zero speed, the shaft rests on the bearing at bottom dead centre. As soon as
shaft rotation begins the shaft lifts off on a layer of oil. In fluid film bearings,
lubrication is required between a pair of surfaces with relative motion
between them. There is always a convergent wedge developed that is formed
due to the relative surface speeds and the lubricant viscosity to carry the
applied load. An oil pressure film develops with equal and opposite force
vectors to the applied load. One surface drags the lubricant, usually an oil, into
a converging gap. As the space available in this gap decreases, the fluid
develops a pressure gradient, or pressure hill. As the fluid leaves the gap, the
high pressure helps expel it out the other side.
CHECKLIST
Types of plain bearing
Bearing material
Bearing size
Bearing clearance
Bearing temperature
Bearing vibration
Bearing re-lubrication quantity
Speed of shaft
Properties of lubricant
Class of lubrication been applied
Choice of lubrication used
How often is the bearing replaced
Running hours
Quantity of lubricant applied
Method of lubrication application
How often is the bearing lubrication
TYPES OF PLAIN BEARING

Hydrodynamic and babbited journal bearing
Sleeve bearing
Spherical bearing
Drill jig brushings
LUBRICATION CLASS BEEN APPLIED
These considers the class of lubrication material been applied. There are three
classes of lubrication
Class I bearings that require the application of a lubricant from an
external source (e.g., oil, grease, etc.).
Class II Bearings that contain a lubricant within the walls of the

bearing (e.g., bronze, graphite, etc.,). Typically these bearings require an
outside lubricant to achieve maximum performance.
Class III bearings made of materials that are the lubricant. These
bearings are typically considered "self-lubricating" and can run without
an external lubricant
BEARING TEMPERATURE
Plain bearings are restricted to low loads, low-to-medium velocity and
temperatures up to 100C (210F).
BEARING MATERIAL
The table below shows the characteristics and requirements of a plain bearing
PROPERTIES OF LUBRICANT
High boiling point and low freezing point (in order to stay liquid within a
wide range of temperature)
High viscosity index.
Thermal stability.
Hydraulic stability.
Demulsibility.
Corrosion prevention.
High resistance to oxidation.
CHOICE OF LUBRICANTS
Mineral oils
Synthetic oils
Greases
Process fluids
Mineral oils and greases are most suitable for plain bearings in most
application
Synthetic oils is required if system temperature are high.

METHODS OF LIQUID LUBRICANTS SUPPLY
Hand oiling
Drip and wick feed
Ring and collar feed
Bath and splash lubrication
Pressure feed
Viscosity is the most important property in plain bearings. Low viscosity
accounts for inadequate load carrying capacity; while high viscosity
accounts for high power loss and operating temperature will be
unnecessarily high.
ADIABATIC COEFFICIENT TABLE
ANALYSIS
Parameters
BEARING SIZE = 3in*6in
BEARING TEMPERATURE = 120F
SPEED OF SHAFT = 3600RPM
CLASS OF LUBRICANT = ISO VG - 32
BEARING CLEARANCE = 0.0044
Lubricant properties Initial viscosity and feed Viscosity Density = 0.031 lb/in3
f Initial viscosity X e0.017(120104) 3.03X 106 reyn
The problem statement is to analyse and design a two-pad cylindrical bearing

for support of a rotor having a bearing load of 8000 lb, a shaft diameter of 6 in,
and a speed of 3600 r.p.m. Assume use of ISO VG-32 oil fed at a temperature
of 120F.
Compute operating characteristics for a 3 in long bearing with a radial
clearance of 0.0044in.
Feed viscosity,
f 3.98 X 106 e0.017(120104) 3.03 X 106 reyn
Angular velocity,
2
3600 X 377 rad / s
60
Adiabatic coefficient,
c 2 X 3.03 X 106 X 0.017 X 377 X (3 / 0.0044) 2 / (0.031X 4320) 0.1345
The desired solution lies between part 2 and part 3 of the table above. By using
linear interpolation for adiabatic coefficient of 0.1 and 0.2, and values of
eccentricity of 0.7 and 0.8, an approximate operating point of
c 0.1345
Yields
The dimensional operating results are:
/2=
RECOMMENDATIONS
Lubrication should be carried out on a routinary basis to ensure that friction
and other limiting factors are evaded from the plain bearing and also oil
lubrication is recommended with ring and collar feed supply.

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NAME: OGBU PAUL UCHENNA

DEPARTMENT: MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

MATRIC NO: 110404055

COURSE TITLE: VISCOUS FLOW THEORY

COURSE CODE: MEG 510

GROUP TOPIC: LUBRICATION OF PLAIN BEARINGS

PLAIN BEARING AND BASIC CONCEPTS

TYPES OF PLAIN BEARING

Class II Bearings that contain a lubricant within the walls of the

Synthetic oils is required if system temperature are high.

BEARING SIZE = 3in*6in

BEARING TEMPERATURE = 120F

SPEED OF SHAFT = 3600RPM

CLASS OF LUBRICANT = ISO VG - 32

BEARING CLEARANCE = 0.0044

f Initial viscosity X e0.017(120104) 3.03X 106 reyn

The problem statement is to analyse and design a two-pad cylindrical bearing

c 2 X 3.03 X 106 X 0.017 X 377 X (3 / 0.0044) 2 / (0.031X 4320) 0.1345

The dimensional operating results are:

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