VELOCITY PROFILE OF A FLUID FLOWING

BETWEEN TWO PARALLEL PLATES (Both fixed)

V
VELOCITY PROFILE OF A FLUID
FLOWING BETWEEN TWO PARALLEL
PLATES (One fixed and other moving)

Moving Plate

Fixed Plate
VELOCITY PROFILE OF A FLUID FLOWING
BETWEEN TWO NON PARALLEL PLATES
HYDRODYNAMIC LUBRICATION

JOURNAL AT JOURNAL JOURNAL IN

REST STARTS EQUILIBRIUM
ROTATING
GEOMETRICAL AND OPERATING
PARAMETERS OF A JOURNAL BEARING
Fluid film thickness
Diametral/Radial clearance
Eccentricity
Eccentricity Ratio
Load carried
Angular speed
Fluid viscosity
Attitude Angle
HYDRODYNAMIC
JOURNAL BEARING
HYDRODYNAMIC
LUBRICATION
• Pressure is developed in a convergent fluid film.
• Pressure usually less than 5 MPa.
• Film thickness usually exceeds 1 microns
• Lubrication is by pressure induced and velocity induced flows.
• As clearance increases, it decreases the coefficient of
friction but reduces the load carrying capacity.
• A very thin film is likely to cause the rubbing of high spots in the
shaft and journal.
HYDRODYNAMIC LUBRICATION
Perfect lubrication is enhanced by
 Low temperature
 Optimum viscosity
 Low loads
 Adequate supply of oil
 High speed
 Slow acceleration from rest
RAYLEIGH’S STEP BEARING
 PRESSURE AND VELOCITY
DISTRIBUTION IN A STEP BEARING
HYDROSTATIC LUBRICATION
Load
Runner

pr Land

Recess

PRINCIPLE OF OPERATION
 HYDROSTATIC LUBRICATION
Features of Hydrostatic Bearing
 Very high load carrying capacity at low speeds
 Very low friction
 High positional accuracy in high speed, light load
applications
 High Stiffness
 High damping
Disadvantages of Hydrostatic Bearing
Additional equipment required for operation
MECHANISM OF HYDROSTATIC
LUBRICATION

- The lubricant (oil) is pumped at a high

pressure to the pocket
- Oil flows radially outward through the
narrow space between the runner and the land.
- The pressure acting on the thrust plate lift
the load W
 Load
Runner

pr Land
Recess
Compensating
Element

Flow
ps Return
Line

Filter Pressure Relief

Valve

Valve

Pump

Tank

A typical Hydrostatic Bearing Circuit

HYDROSTATIC LUBRICATION
Compensating Elements
1. Constant supply pressure system

 Capillary Tube- Long tube in the direction of flow

 Orifice-Short tube in the direction of flow

2. Constant flow rate system

 Constant Flow Valve

HYDROSTATIC LUBRICATION
Capillary
 Flow is due to shearing motion.
 Flow is proportional to pressure difference.

Orifice
 Flow is due to inertia forces hence depends on density.
 Flow is proportional to square root of pressure
difference.
Hydrostatic Lubrication
 HYDROSTATIC BEARING

Source: http://evolution.skf.com

Source: www.rueckle-gruppe.de
ANALYSIS OF A CIRCULAR
STEP BEARING

h
CIRCULAR STEP BEARING
Flow rate through the bearing is
given by
h pr 3
Q=
ro
6 ln( )
ri
h – Film Thickness
Pr – Recess Pressure
 - Absolute Viscosity of the Lubricant
CIRCULAR STEP BEARING
Load carrying capacity of the
bearing is given by

p r (ro  ri )
2 2

W 
ro
2 ln( )
ri
HYDROSTATIC LUBRICATION
Hydrostatic Journal Bearings

Working principle – Same as that of Hydrostatic

thrust bearings.

Analysis and Design is more complicated

1. As the film thickness is not uniform.
2. The pressure distribution within the bearing is
considerably altered due to the relative velocity
between the journal and the bearing resulting
from the shaft rotation.
HYDROSTATIC LUBRICATION

Hydrostatic Journal Bearing

 ELASTOHYDRODYNAMIC
LUBRICATION
• A lubrication regime in which the Lamda Ratio is very small
• Non-conformal surfaces
• Elastic Deformation of the lubricated surfaces
• Converging Fluid film
• Sliding Motion
• Lubricant
EHDL

Hard Soft
EHDL EHDL
 HARD EHDL
•Very high loads acting over small areas
• High pressures and temperatures (0.5 - 3 GPa)
• Minimum film thickness usually exceeds 0.1 microns

GEAR CONTACT
 SOFT EHDL
•Low loads but large deformations
•Moderate pressures and temperatures (1 MPa)

RUBBER SEALS
ELASTOHYDRODYNAMIC
LUBRICATION
 Under EHDL the elastic behavior of the fluid and the
solid under high pressure has to be considered.
 The viscosity pressure characteristic becomes
important.
 Fluid viscosity increases with pressure according to

p
   0e
 0 - Absolute viscosity at Atmospheric Pressure
 - Pressure coefficient of viscosity
ELASTOHYDRODYNAMIC
LUBRICATION

Source:- Engineering Tribology-G.W. Stackowiak and A.W. Batchelor

ELASTO HYDRODYNAMIC
LUBRICATION

Source:- Engineering Tribology-G.W. Stackowiak and A.W. Batchelor

ELASTO HYDRODYNAMIC
LUBRICATION
Important why ?
• There are billions of

bearings in use

• Bearing life is related to

lubricant properties and

film thickness
ELASTO HYDRODYNAMIC
LUBRICATION
LUBRICANT STARVATION IN EHDL

• Reduced lubricant flow into the

inlet zone

• Leads to starvation at the contact

When ?

• The operating speeds are high

• Loads are high

• Viscosity changes during operation

Boundary Lubrication

Highly magnified and Diagrammatic

 Boundary Lubrication
• The name ‘Boundary lubrication’ was coined by William
Hardy, a pioneer in surface science.
• An increase in the contact pressure beyond the EHL
conditions causes the contacting asperities to deform
plastically and the number of contacts to increase as
well as for the fluid film thickness to decrease.
When the average fluid film thickness falls below the
average relative surface roughness, surface contact
becomes a major part of the load supporting
system.
Boundary Lubrication
• Boundary lubrication enhanced by long chain HC
molecules Eg: Stearic acid
• Molecular length of paraffinic hydrocarbons are of
the order of few microns (0.0025- Approximately
1% of the asperity peak heights)

Source:http://wwwchem.csustan.edu/chem1102/stearic.htm
Boundary Lubrication
• Chemical reactions between the lubricant molecules and the asperity
surface, due to frictional heating, often produce a boundary chemical film
which can be either beneficial or detrimental in terms of wear.

• Boundary –lubricated surfaces have a coefficient of friction one or two

orders of magnitude greater than those of surfaces lubricated by a fluid-
film.

• Rubbing surfaces of piston and piston ring, cross-head, machine tool guides,
watches, clocks, production machinery, etc frequently operate under
boundary lubrication regimes.
SOLID LUBRICANTS
 SOLID LUBRICANTS
Solid film lubrication
A solid layer separates the surfaces coming into contact
-The solid film may be deliberately applied on the
surface.
E.g. :- Molybdenum disulphide in an epoxy resin is baked
on to the surface.
- The solid film may be formed by chemical reaction
E.g. :- An oxide layer on a metal surface.
 SOLID LUBRICANTS
Sm
μm 
pm

μm Friction coefficient
Sm Shear strength of the softer
bulk material
pm Hardness of the softer bulk
material
 SOLID LUBRICANTS
 The layer may be strong and will not be sheared

during sliding.

 The solid layer prevents the formation of junctions

and no junction growth takes place.

 If the film is soft then shearing of the film takes

place.
SOLID LUBRICANTS
When the softer solid film shears
Sl
μl 
pm

μl Friction coefficient

Sl Shear strength of the film material

 SOLID LUBRICANTS
Very good at low sliding speeds, Low load and elevated
temperatures
Graphite
Molybdenum disulphide
Metal forming dies, threaded parts, sleeve bearings,
Electrical relays and switches
Polymers
Polymer Composites
Excellent wear resistance, Corrosion properties, High
chemical stability, high capacity of damping
vibrations, low noise emission PTFE, UHMWPE, nylon,
polyester, asbestos etc
 SOLID LUBRICANTS

• Even between highly loaded stationary surfaces the lamellar structure is

able to prevent contact.
• In the direction of motion the lamellas easily shear over each other resulting
in a low friction.
• Large particles best perform on relative rough surfaces at low speed, finer
particle on relative smooth surface and higher speeds.
 SOLID LUBRICANTS
Applications
Solid lubricants are useful for conditions when conventional lubricants are
inadequate.
Reciprocating motion:- A typical application is a sliding or reciprocating
motion that requires lubrication to minimize wear as for example in gear and
chain lubrication. Liquid lubricants will squeezed out while solid lubricants
don't escape and prevent for fretting corrosion and galling.
High temperature:- Graphite and MoS2 exhibit high temperature and
oxidizing atmosphere environments, whereas liquid lubricants typically will
not survive. A typical application include fasteners which are easily
tightened and unscrewed after a long stay at high temperatures.
Extreme contact pressures:- The lamellar structure orient parallel to the
sliding surface resulting in high bearing-load combined with a low shear
stress. Most applications in metal forming that involve plastic deformation
will utilize solid lubricants.
 SOLID LUBRICANTS
Graphite is structurally composed of planes of polycyclic carbon atoms
that are hexagonal in orientation. The distance of carbon atoms between
planes is longer and therefore the bonding is weaker.

Graphite is best suited for lubrication in a regular atmosphere. Water

vapor is a necessary component for graphite lubrication. The adsorption of
water reduces the bonding energy between the hexagonal planes of the
graphite to a lower level than the adhesion energy between a substrate and
the graphite.
SOLID LUBRICANTS

Similar to graphite, MoS2 has a hexagonal crystal

structure with the intrinsic property of easy shear. The
temperature limitation of MoS2 at 400ºC is restricted by
oxidation.
SOLID LUBRICANTS

Layered structure of Molybdenum Disulphide

 SOLID LUBRICANTS
Mica and Talc
 SOLID LUBRICANTS
Boron Nitride is a ceramic powder lubricant. The most interesting lubricant
feature is its high temperature resistance of 1200ºC service temperature in an
oxidizing atmosphere. Further Boron has a high thermal conductivity. Boron is
available in two chemical structures, i.e. cubic and hexagonal where the last is
the lubricating version. The cubic structure is very hard and used as an
abrasive and cutting tool component.

PTFE is widely used as an additive in lubricating oils and greases. Due to the
low surface energy of PTFE, stable dispersions of PTFE in oil or water can be
produced. Contrary to the other solid lubricants discussed, PTFE does not
have a layered structure. The macro molecules of PTFE slip easily along each
other, similar to lamellar structures. PTFE shows one of the smallest
coefficients of static and dynamic friction, down to 0.04. Operating
temperatures are limited to about 260ºC.
 SOLID LUBRICANTS
Free powders: Dry-powder tumbling is an effective application method. The

bonding can be improved by priory phosphating the substrate. Use of free

powders has its limitations, since adhesion of the solid particles to the

substrate is usually insufficient to provide any service life in continuous

applications. However, to improve running-in conditions or in metal forming

processes a short duration of the improved slide conditions may suffice.

 SOLID LUBRICANTS
Method of Application
Spraying/dipping/brushing: Dispersion of solid lubricant as an additive in oil,
water or grease is most common used. For parts that are inaccessible for
lubrication after assembly a dry film lubricant can be sprayed. After the solvent
evaporates, the coating cures at room temperature to form a solid lubricant.
Pastes are grease like lubricants containing a high percentage of solid
lubricants used for assembly and lubrication of highly loaded, slow moving
parts. Black pastes generally contain MoS2. For high temperatures above
500°C pastes are composed on the basis of metal powders to protect metal
parts from oxidation necessary to facilitate disassembly of threaded
connections and other assemblies.
 SOLID LUBRICANTS
AF-coatings: Anti-friction coatings are "lubricating paints" consisting of fine
particles of lubricating pigments, such as molydisulfide, PTFE or graphite,
blended with a binder. After application and proper curing, these lubricants bond
to the metal surface and form a dark gray solid film. Many dry film lubricants
also contain special rust inhibitors which offer exceptional corrosion protection.
Most long wearing films are of the bonded type but are still restricted to
applications where sliding distances are not too long. AF-coatings are applied
where fretting and galling is a problem (such as splines, universal joints and
keyed bearings), where operating pressures exceed the load-bearing capacities
of ordinary oils and greases, where smooth running in is desired (piston,
camshaft), where clean operation is desired (AF-coatings will not collect dirt and
debris like greases and oils), where parts may be stored for long periods of
time.