ARTICLE IN PRESS

Tribology International 41 (2008) 296–306

www.elsevier.com/locate/triboint

Aeration effects on the performance of a turbocharger journal bearing

Sang Myung Chun
Department of Automotive Engineering, Hoseo University, Republic of Korea
Received 6 November 2006; received in revised form 15 August 2007; accepted 21 August 2007
Available online 10 October 2007

Abstract

Turbocharger bearings have to work under high temperature, and are moreover rotated at high speed. They have to be designed by
overcoming the high temperature. The type of oil inlet port, the inlet oil temperature and the sort of engine oil should be designed,
controlled and selected carefully in order to reduce the bearing’s inner temperature. In this study, the influence of aerated oil on a high-
speed journal bearing is also examined by using the classical thermohydrodynamic lubrication theory coupled with analytical models for
viscosity and density of an air–oil mixture in a fluid-film bearing. Convection to the walls and mixing with supply oil and re-circulating
oil are considered. The considered parameters for the study of bubbly lubrication are the oil inlet port’s type, oil aeration level and shaft
speed. It is found that the type of oil inlet ports and shaft speed play important roles in determining the temperature and pressure
distribution, and the friction in a journal bearing at high-speed operation. Also, the results show that, under extremely high shaft speed,
the high shear effects on aerated oil and the high-temperature effects cancel out each other. So, the bearing load and friction show almost
no difference between aerated oil and pure oil.
r 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Keywords: Aerated oil; Flow mixing; Convective conditions on the walls; High-speed journal bearing; Turbulent Reynolds and energy equations; Oil inlet
port

1. Introduction Turbulence inside high-speed bearings occurs as the local

The shaft of an automotive turbocharger is usually
rotated up to 100,000–150,000 rpm. Under this high speed,
two small journal bearings sustain the shaft by a thin
oil film supplied around the shaft through oil supply
port. Also the supplied oil reduces the shaft friction and
cools down the temperature of the shaft and other parts
of the turbocharger. The bearing is so small and rotates
at high speed so that it can easily operate under high
temperature. Therefore, it should be designed precisely
in durability aspect. Furthermore, it is important to select
the type of engine oil because of viscosity sensitivity. So,
a parametric study will be carried out in this study in order
to find the effects of design parameters by numerical
analysis.
Department of Automotive Engineering, 201-1007 Woosung Apart-
ment, 639 Sindorimdong, Guro-gu, Seoul 152-772, Republic of Korea.
Tel.: +82 2 2637 3019.
E-mail address: sangmchun@hanmail.net
Reynolds number (Re) reaches the transition region. The
turbulence will increase the friction, and then brings about
noticeable changes of pressure and temperature inside the
fluid. Generally, inside rotating bearings, the turbulence
occurs as the flow is unstable above Re 2000 in terms of oil
film thickness (h), or it easily occurs in large bearings with a
large bearing clearance, and with fluid flow with lower
viscosity. Meanwhile, under turbulence inside high-speed
bearings, the temperature of the oil film can sharply
increase due to increasing friction, and the temperature
variation inside the oil film can become severe. Therefore,
under such severe conditions of temperature, variable
density and specific heat according to changing tempera-
ture should be considered for the design of high-speed film
bearings [1].
The onset of turbulence in connection with bearings had
not become evident until its effects on bearing performance
were discovered by a series of experiments [2]. The basic
turbulent lubrication theory had been developed by several
researchers [3–8]. They handled the lubricant as incom-
pressible pure oil.

0301-679X/$ - see front matter r 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/j.triboint.2007.08.006
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S.M. Chun / Tribology International 41 (2008) 296–306 297

Nomenclature r bubble radius (m)

rin bubble radius at inlet under atmospheric
c radial clearance between a journal and its pressure (m)
bearing (m) r̄ non-dimensional bubble radius (r/c)
Cp specific heat of lubricant (kJ/kg 1C) r̄in non-dimensional bubble radius at inlet under
d distance between two bubbles (m) atmospheric pressure (rin/c)
din distance between two bubbles initially at inlet (m) R journal bearing radius (m)
d non-dimensional distance between two bubbles (d/c) T mean temperature for turbulent flow (1C)
d̄ in non-dimensional distance between two bubbles T non-dimensional
  mean
 temperature
at inlet condition ( ¼ din/c) rC o ðc=RÞ2 2mo N ðT  T in Þ
D bearing diameter (m) Tin inlet oil temperature (1C)
e eccentricity(the offset distance between journal Tb temperature of the bush (1C)
and bearing centers) Ts temperature of the shaft (1C)
F friction force Tf Fahrenheit temperature (1F)
F non-dimensional friction force ((F/LD) Tr Rankin temperature (1R)
(c/R)/(moN)(L/D)) Trec re-circulating temperature at the leading edge
h oil film thickness (m) of a groove
h non-dimensional film thickness (h/c) U speed of journal (m/s)
hin oil film thickness at inlet (m) V air volume fraction
h̄in non-dimensional film thickness at inlet (hin/c) W applied load
HbT,sT convective heat transfer coefficient at bush and W non-dimensional
 load parameter
 
shaft (W/m2 1C) ðW =LDÞ ðc=RÞ2 ðL=DÞ mo N
L bearing length (m) x, z coordinates of circumferential and axial direc-
Lc contraction ratio of oil film at the cavitation tions, respectively
region y; z̄ non-dimensional
 coordinates

N rotational speed (rpm) y ¼ x=R; z̄ ¼ z=R
p̄ mean absolute pressure for turbulent flow (Pa) d air/oil mass ratio
p̄g mean guage pressure for turbulent flow (Pa) e eccentricity ratio (e/c)
p p=roil R̄T m aerated oil viscosity (Pa s)
P non-dimensional mean pressure mo inlet aerated oil viscosity (Pa s)
(p̄g ðc=RÞ2 =mo N) 3 1
moil pure oil viscosity (Pa s)
P non-dimensional effective pressure (H 2 P̄=m̄2 ) m̄ m/moil
Pin inlet guage pressure (Pa) r aerated oil density (kg/m3)
qbT,sT turbulent heat transfer to the bush and shaft roil pure oil density (kg/m3)
(W) r̄ non-dimensional density (r/roil)
Qin inlet oil flow rate s surface tension of air bubble (N/m)
QL side oil flow rate going through groove lands s s=roil R̄Tc
Qrec re-circulating flow rate at the beginning of the n aerated oil kinematic viscosity (cSt)
cavitation region noil pure oil kinematic viscosity (cSt)
Qzt lubricant side leakage (m3/s) j attitude angle, i.e., angle between the line of
Q̄zt non-dimensional lubricant side leakage centers and the axial plane containing the load
(Qzt/NcR2) vector

Meanwhile, a simple empirical viscosity relationship for
a gas–liquid mixture was found by using a parameter of
air–oil volume ratio [9].
The effects of bubble surface tension on density were
accounted for by assuming that the aerated oil was
isoviscous [10]. It was found that the load capacity was
virtually unaffected by aeration rate.
Simple density and viscosity models were used for
circular pad thrust bearings [11]. They were extended to
account for temperature effects. It was found that aeration
rate had little effect on load capacity.
An extended Reynolds equation was derived to account
for the fact that aerated oil is non-Newtonian [12].
A viscosity model similar to Hayward’s [9] was used. It
was found that the bearing pressure increases initially with
aeration rate, but that the trend is reversed at very high
aeration rates when the lubricant starts to behave as a gas.
A first effort at deriving an analytical model for aerated
oil viscosity was presented by Nikolajsen [13]. This model
predicts an increase in viscosity with increasing aeration
level due to the surface tension of the entrained air bubbles.
The predicted viscosity increase is confirmed by the
 ARTICLE IN PRESS
298 S.M. Chun / Tribology International 41 (2008) 296–306

experimental findings of Hayward [9]. A corresponding The turbocharger considered in the study is shown
density model for aerated oil is also presented [13]. The in Figs. 1 and 2. The turbocharger casing temperature
mixture theory was applied for aerated oil to a one- reaches around 200–250 1C, and the supplied oil tempera-
dimensional Reynolds equation by assuming that the ture 80–100 1C during the normal operation. After the
bearing is long [14]. However, he did not consider the supplied oil passes through inside the bearing, the oil
energy equation. temperature increases up to around 120–140 1C. So, the
The problem of predicting bearing performance when shaft temperature may reach about 20–40 1C higher than
lubricating with bubbly oil could be attacked in two that of the supplied oil because the shaft’s middle area
different ways. One could attempt to drive an effective between two bearings is exposed to the oil that flows out
viscosity and density for bubbly oil [13] which, when from inside the bearing. The temperature of the bush-
substituted into the classical Reynolds equation, predicted bearing wall turns out to be at the same level as that of the
bearing performance correctly. Another method employed shaft. The supplied oil pressure is normally about
the viscosity of the oil itself, but changed the Reynolds 3.5–4.5 bar.
equation to accommodate a mixture lubricant [12].
In a recent paper [15], Nikolajsen’s viscosity and
density models [13] were used together with the classical
2.2. Governing equations
Reynolds equation and energy equation to investigate and
predict numerically the effects of oil aeration on the
The Reynolds equation [3,4] for a steadily loaded journal
performance of a high-speed plane journal bearing with an
bearing for finite width may be written as
axial groove. Also, the convective conditions on the walls,
the contraction ratio at cavitation region, and the mixing    
q rh3 qpg q rh3 qpg U qðrhÞ
between re-circulating oil and inlet oil were considered Gx þ Gz ¼ . (1)
qx m qx qz m qz 2 qx
together [16–18].
In this paper, the boundary conditions on the bearing The appropriate values of Gx and Gz are given by the
wall and the shaft are based on experimental data. Also, all following equations [5,6] in the range 1000pRep30,000:
the considerations mentioned above, for example, the
variable density and specific heat, the effect of oil aeration, 1
Gx ¼ , (2)
the convective wall condition, the contraction ratio at 12 þ 0:0136ðhU=vÞ0:9
cavitation region, and the mixing between the recirculating
oil and the inlet oil are engaged. The type of oil inlet port,
1
oil aeration level, and shaft speed are chosen as design Gz ¼ . (3)
parameters. The parameters’ effects on the temperature 12 þ 0:0043ðhU=vÞ0:96
and pressure variation on the oil film, then on the friction
The steady-state two-dimensional energy equation [6–8]
loss, and the required flow rate under constant load
with heat transfer boundary conditions at the bearing walls
operating condition are investigated.

2. Theory

2.1. The characteristics on lubrication environment of a

turbocharger bearing

Turbochargers are undertaken at very high thermal load

owing to the use of the high-temperature exhaust gas that
flows out from the combustion chamber. The exhaust gas
temperature reaches above 750 1C, and the blade of the
turbine above 600 1C. Even under such a high temperature,
the supplied engine oil has to be able to safely lubricate the
bearings supporting the turbine shaft and remove the heat
transferred from the shaft. Therefore, higher performance
engine oil should be used for the turbocharger engine
compared with that for usual engines. That is, the oil
should have better thermal stability, better oxidation
stability and good dispersant property in order to circulate
the oil better by preventing the viscosity increase and the
deposit in engine oil. Also, the oil should have lower
volatility property in order to prevent its exhaustion by
evaporation. Fig. 1. The cutting view of turbocharger.
 ARTICLE IN PRESS
S.M. Chun / Tribology International 41 (2008) 296–306 299

Fig. 2. The cross-sectional drawing of turbocharger.

may be derived under turbulence conditions as Non-dimensional density can be described as

     
Uh h3 qpg q C p T h3 qp̄g r ð1 þ dÞ poil þ 2s̄=r̄
r  Gx  Gz r̄ ¼ ¼ , (9)
2 m qx qx m qz roil d þ poil þ 2s̄=r̄
  (  2  2 )
q CpT h3 qp̄g qp̄g where
 ¼ tc U þ Gx þ Gz
qz m qx qz  
  mair poil in þ 2s̄=r̄in
 qsT þ qbT , ð4Þ d¼ ¼   ,
moil ð3=4pÞ r̄in =d̄ in  1
where
r̄ ¼ r=c, s̄ ¼ s=roil R̄Tc, p ¼ p̄=roil R̄T. r̄ is the real root
 
qsT ¼ H sT T  T s , between 0 and  r̄in of the
polynomial equation
  poil r̄3 þ 2s̄r̄2  poil in þ 2s̄=r̄in r̄3in ¼ 0. c is the reference
qbT ¼ H bT T  T b . clearance, T is the absolute oil temperature, roil is the
The values of HsT and HbT (HboT or HbgT) [19] are chosen density of pure oil, s is the surface tension of a bubble
as shown in Table 1. (N/m), and R̄ is the gas constant (J/kg K).
Non-dimensional viscosity [13] can be expressed as
In the range 1000pRep30,000,
 appropriate values of
t̄c ¼ tc =ðmU=HÞ are given by the following [5,6]: m
m̄ ¼ ¼ m̄1 þ m̄2 , (10)
  moil
rUh 0:94 .
t̄c ¼ 1 þ 0:0012 . (5) 3=2
m where m̄1 ¼ m1 =moil ¼ r̄=ð1 þ dÞ, m̄2 ¼ m2 =moil ¼ Gh̄in r̄2
pffiffiffi  pffiffiffi 
The density (kg/m3) and kinematic viscosity (cst) of pure h, G ¼ p2 s 2moil U r̄3in ½rin =d in 3 , h̄ ¼ h=c, and d̄ ¼ d=c.
oil can be expressed by Eqs. (6) and (7) with constants aa, U is the bearing surface speed. d is the distance
bb and cc which vary depending on the kind of oil [20]: between bubbles. m̄1 represents the viscosity reduction
roil ¼ 0:0361ðaa  0:000354T f Þ  27 680, (6) due to the near-zero air viscosity within the bubbles. m̄2
represents the
 viscosity increase due to bubble surface
tension. r̄in d̄ in represents oil aeration level illustrated
ðbbcc log10 ðT r ÞÞ
noil ¼ moil =roil ¼ 1010  0:6, (7) in Fig. 3.
Air volume ratio can be expressed as the following
where Tf and Tr represent the Fahrenheit temperature and equation in geometrical aspects of oil aeration level:
Rankin temperature, respectively. The values of aa, bb, and
cc are 0.9186, 9.0850 and 3.2034, respectively, for the 4p
V¼ , (11)
current oil. Cp is the specific heat (J/kg 1C) of oil [21] that 3A3
may be correlated with Celsius temperature Tc as
   

where A ¼ 1 2 r̄ d̄ in þ 1.
691
C p ¼ 1796 þ T c. (8) Note that the density of Eq. (9) and the viscosity of
160
Eq. (10) are functions of the absolute oil film pressure p̄,
The density (kg/m3) and dynamic viscosity (Pa s) whereas Reynolds equation (1) and energy Eq. (4) are
of aerated oil can be expressed as shown below [13]. written as usual in terms of the guage pressure p̄g .
 ARTICLE IN PRESS
300 S.M. Chun / Tribology International 41 (2008) 296–306

Fig. 3. Oil aeration levels.

Film thickness, h, can be defined by the expression using

bearing coordinates [16]:
h ¼ cð1 þ  cosðy  jÞÞ. (12)

3. Boundary conditions

The guage pressure at the ends of a finite-length bearing Fig. 4. Diagram of lubricant flow, with Qin the inlet oil flow rate, LcQrec
is taken to be equal to the ambient pressure that is defined the re-circulating flow rate and QL the side oil flow rate going through
as being zero. Thus groove land. W is the angle of the beginning of the cavitation region.

p̄z¼L=2 ¼ 0. (13)
At the point of film rupture, the pressure boundary bush, adjusted for the reduction of wetting area in the
conditions are cavitating region by the contraction ratio, becomes
qp̄ H b ¼ Lc H bo þ ð1  Lc ÞH bg , (18)
p̄ ¼ ¼ 0 at y ¼ y . (14)
qy
At the ends of the bearing, it is reasonable to assume where H*bo is the mixed heat transfer coefficient of aerated
that no heat will be transferred to the surrounding in oil that is adjusted with air volume ratio (V). It can be
the axial direction at the ends of the bearing. That is, the expressed as H bo ¼ H bo ð1  V Þ þ H bg V .
oil temperature having come out to the surrounding The cavitation model of this study is shown in Fig. 4 [15],
is assumed to be the same as that at the end of the which shows several oil strips and the shaft covered with oil
bearing, so as usual. It is assumed that the air bubbles mixed with oil
qz¼L=2 ¼ 0. (15) are distributed orderly even though the size of air bubble
can vary depending on pressure, and that the air bubbles
For the oil mixing condition, at all types of grooves still exist uniformly even inside oil strips. The temperature
considered in this study, the oil temperature is assumed as distribution of air in the cavitation region is assumed as the
the mixing temperature between the re-circulating oil and temperature of aerated oil. The guage pressure in cavita-
inlet oil as shown in Fig. 4. The detailed expression is tion region is 0, as mentioned as the boundary condition.
defined as Therefore, generally speaking, for the turbulence treat-
  ment of a fluid inside a bearing, mixed oil is treated as a
Q  QL T in þ Lc Qrec T rec
T mix ¼ in  , (16) sort of virtual oil whose physical properties appear as the
Qin  QL þ Lc Qrec mixed viscosity, mixed density and specific heat of the oil
where Lc is the contraction ratio [17] of the oil film that is itself. However, the heat transfer to the bearing walls is
defined as handled separately from both oil and gas.
R L=2 R hðy ;zÞ In this study, two types of oil inlet port as shown in
L=2 0 uðy ; zÞ dy dz Fig. 5 are considered. These are an axial groove and four
Lc ðyÞ ¼ R L=2 R hðy;zÞ . (17)
uðy; zÞ dy dz circular inlet ports. For the convenience of this numerical
L=2 0
analysis, a rectangular type of oil port having similar area
This ratio is the effective wetted width of the bush in the as that of the original is used as substitute instead of the
cavitating region. Then the heat transfer coefficient to the circular type of oil port.
 ARTICLE IN PRESS
Axial location (L/R) S.M. Chun / Tribology International 41 (2008) 296–306 301

The position of oil inlet energy equation. The central finite difference technique is
0.517 applied for the non-dimensional Reynolds equation. The
0
0 3 1 4 2
backward difference scheme in the circumferential direc-
-0.517 tion, and backward and forward difference schemes in the
0 1.57 3.14 4.71 6.28 axial direction are used for the non-dimensional energy
Circumferential location (radian) equation.
In order to create a finite difference model in the
Fig. 5. The various types of oil inlet.
cavitation region, the total width of oil strips is divided by
the total number of meshes in the z-direction, and then the
4. Calculation of parameters small oil strip is allocated at each node. So it is assumed
that the oil strip exits at each node.
The non-dimensional load parameter components W̄ c In this study, the grid used comprises 49  17 nodes.
and W̄ p , parallel and normal to the line of centers, Finer grids with double the points in each direction have
respectively, are given by been tried with no noticeable difference in the results. In
  addition, variable grid size mesh has been utilized to
W c  c 2 L
W̄ c ¼ mo N provide greater detail in regions with rapid changes in
LD R D
Z Z temperature and pressure without noticeable difference in
1 2p L=D the results.
¼  P cos y dz dy, ð19aÞ
4 0 L=D With the pressure and temperature distributions thus
specified, the load, friction and axial leakage parameters
and
  can be computed from Eqs. (19c), (20) and (21).
W p  c 2 L
W̄ p ¼ mo N
LD R D 6. Results and discussion
Z Z
1 2p L=D
¼ P̄ sin y dz̄ dy. ð19bÞ 6.1. The specification of a bearing and engine oil
4 0 L=D

Note that the total load parameter, W̄ , will be The bearing geometry parameters and lubricant proper-
rffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi
ffi ties are summarized in Table 1. Two bearings with one
2 2
W¼ Wc þ Wp . (19c) axial groove and four circular inlet ports, respectively, are
examined. The basic algorithm of a numerical model used
For turbulent flow, the non-dimensional form of total for this study had been verified by Chun [18].
friction force can be expressed by While operating the considered engine under the
 
Ft  c L condition of wide open throttling on a dynamometer, the
F̄ t ¼ mo N volume percent of air in the engine oil varies on changing
LD R D
Z Z   the shaft speed. This volume percent of aerated oil is
1 2p L=D H @P 2p corresponding to the aeration level. After passing through
¼ Gx þ t̄ c m̄ dz dy. ð20Þ
4 0 L=D 2 @y H
Table 1
The frictional torque is equal to the friction force Journal bearing operating conditions
multiplied by the radius of a bearing and the frictional
power loss is friction force multiplied by the velocity of the Bearing diameter D ¼ 7.85 mm
bearing shaft. Bearing length L ¼ 4.06 mm
Radial clearance C ¼ 10 mm
The non-dimensional axial leakage loss, equal to the Rotational speed
required flow, due to the turbulent flow inside a bearing is N ¼ 10,000–150,000 rpm
expressed as Lubricant viscosity at 40 1C (Oil A) mo ¼ 0.0646 Pa s
Z 2p Lubricant density at 40 1C (Oil A) ro ¼ 881.08 kg/m3
Qzt H 3 qP̄ Surface tension s ¼ 0.0365 N/m
Q̄zt ¼ ¼ G z j dy. (21)
NcR2 0 m̄ qz̄ z̄¼L=D Lubricant specific heat at 40 1C Co ¼ 1968.75 J/kg 1C
Convective heat transfer coefficient of HboT ¼ 8700 W/m2 1C
lubricant to bush
Convective heat transfer coefficient of air to HbgT ¼ 3400 W/m2 1C
bush
5. Computation
Convective heat transfer coefficient of HsT ¼ 8700 W/m2 1C
lubricant to shaft
The turbulent Reynolds and energy equations with Bush and shaft temperature Tb,s ¼ 140 1C at
turbulent similarity parameters have been solved by the 150,000 rpm
finite difference method using relaxation factors. Here, Inlet lubricant temperature Tin ¼ 100 1C
Inlet lubricant pressure Pin ¼ 4.0  105 Pa
over-relaxation factors are used for solving the Reynolds
Circumferential width of an axial groove 7.51 (1 grid size)  2
equation and under-relaxation factors for solving the
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302 S.M. Chun / Tribology International 41 (2008) 296–306

0.02 1
°
Oil A, SAE10W40, VI=141, F.P.=220 C Air, rin/din=1/8, Axial Groove, Ecc.=0.09516
No Air, Axial Groove, Ecc.=0.09515
0.8
0.015

Pressure [MPa]
Viscosity [Pa.s]

0.6

0.01
0.4

0.005 0.2

0
0 0 90 180 270 360
80 100 120 140 160 180 200 220
Circumferential Location [degree]
Temperature [degree]
Fig. 7. Pressure distribution at the middle of a bearing plane, Oil A at
Fig. 6. Engine oil viscosity at various temperatures.
150,000 rpm.

an engine oil filter, the radius size of air bubble appears to

250
be about 0.02 mm (20 mm) at atmospheric pressure.
In this study, the aeration levels, r̄in =d̄ in , investigated
are 1/12, 1/10, 1/8, 1/7, 1/6 and 1/5 for considering
various engine operating conditions. These values can be
Temperature [°C]

200
expressed as air volume ratio, V, as 0.0122, 0.0194, 0.0335,
0.0460, 0.0655 and 0.0977, respectively. The size of an air
bubble, rin, at inlet under atmospheric pressure is fixed
as 20 mm.
Meanwhile, the viscosity of the engine oil (Oil A) 150
considered here is shown in Fig. 6. The grade of Oil A is
SAE 10W40, with the viscosity index 141 and flash point Air, rin/din=1/8, Axial Groove, Ecc.=0.09516
220 1C. No Air, Axial Groove, Ecc.=0.09515
100
0 90 180 270 360
6.2. The effects of the type of oil inlet ports
Circumferential Location [degree]

The calculated pressure and temperature distributions at Fig. 8. Temperature distribution at the middle of a bearing plane, Oil A at
150 000 rpm under a constant load operating condition are 150,000 rpm.
shown in Figs. 7–10 for the bearings both with an axial
groove and with four circular inlet ports. With an axial oil 1
groove, the pressure in the aerated oil film rises up to Air, rin/din=1/8, Four Holes, Ecc.=0.13
0.334 MPa in the middle and the temperature decreases by No Air, Four Holes, Ecc.=0.10
around 3.4–10.8 1C compared with the values for pure oil. 0.8
With four circular oil inlet ports, the pressure in the aerated
Pressure [MPa]

oil film also partly rises up to 0.48 MPa, but the

0.6
temperature increases by about 2 1C compared with the
values for pure oil. The average difference in temperature
between the case of an axial groove and the four holes is 0.4
about 50 1C. With the four holes, lower oil temperature is
expected.
Furthermore, under a constant load operating condition, 0.2
the non-dimensional load parameter is 0.020. The non-
dimensional friction parameter, in case of the axial groove,
increases from 2.105 to 2.313 if some air is entrained in the 0
0.09 180 270 360
engine oil. The non-dimensional axial leakage parameter
Circumferential Location [degree]
decreases from 0.117 to 0.111. These changes are because
of the temperature variation in aerated oil drops compared Fig. 9. Pressure distribution at the middle of a bearing plane, Oil A at
with that in pure oil. Also the shear stress of the air bubble 150,000 rpm.
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S.M. Chun / Tribology International 41 (2008) 296–306 303

250 the diameter of air bubble returns back to 40.00 mm.

This diameter is much greater than the feasible gap,
Air, rin/din=1/8, Four Holes, Ecc.=0.13
10.20–10.82 mm, of the region. In this study, at the lower
No Air, Four Holes, Ecc.=0.10
pressure regions, it is regarded that the air bubble exists as
a sort of distorted shape with the same volume as that of a
Temperature [°C]

200
circular bubble. But, this phenomenon is not counted for
physically.

6.3. The effects of aeration levels

150

The pressure and temperature distributions of oil film with

four circular inlet ports are plotted in Figs. 12 and 13. On
increasing the aeration level, the pressure and temperature
100 usually increase gradually in the case of 150,000 rpm of shaft
0 90 180 270 360
speed under the constant load operating condition. Unusually,
Circumferential Location [degree]
with the aeration level of 1/5 (9.8 vol%), the pressures at the
Fig. 10. Temperature distribution at the middle of a bearing plane, Oil A
at 150,000 rpm. 0.8
rin/din=1/5, Ecc.=0.16745
45 0.7 rin/din=1/6, Ecc.=0.13991
Air Bubble Diameter, Ecc.=0.13 rin/din=1/8, Ecc.=0.13000
40 0.6
Oil Film Thickness, Ecc.=0.13 Pure oil, Ecc.=0.10000
Air bubble diameter (micron)

Pressure [MPa]

35 0.5

30 0.4
25
0.3
20
0.2
15
0.1
10
0
5
0 90 180 270 360
0 Circumferential Location [degree]
0 90 180 270 360
Fig. 12. Pressure distribution at the middle of a bearing plane, Oil A at
Circumferential Location [degree]
150,000 rpm.
Fig. 11. Diameter variation of air bubble at the middle of a bearing plane
with four holes, Oil A at 150,000 rpm and rin/din ¼ 1/8.

180
increases. Therefore, the friction parameter in aerated oil
rin/din=1/5, Ecc.=0.16745
can increase compared with that using pure oil.
rin/din=1/6, Ecc.=0.13991
In case of four circular oil inlet ports, under the constant 175 rin/din=1/8, Ecc.=0.13000
load operating condition, the friction parameter decreases Pure oil, Ecc.=0.10000
from 2.588 to 2.580. The axial leakage parameter increases
Temperature [°C]

from 0.332 to 0.342. Here, the temperature variation in 170

aerated oil increases compared with that in pure oil.
Therefore, the shear stress of air bubble diminishes. Then,
165
the friction parameter in aerated oil can decrease compared
with that using pure oil.
The radius variation of air bubble inside the gap of a 160
bearing along the circumferential direction is shown in
Fig. 11. The radius of an air bubble at the oil inlet under
atmospheric pressure is assumed to be 20 mm. Hence, under 155
0 90 180 270 360
0.4 MPa gauge pressure at the oil inlet port, the diameter
Circumferential Location [degree]
reduced to 8.76 mm. At lower film pressure area inside the
bearing, it is shown that the diameters of air bubbles are Fig. 13. Temperature distribution at the middle of a bearing plane, Oil A
greater than the feasible gap. At the cavitation region, at 150,000 rpm.
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304 S.M. Chun / Tribology International 41 (2008) 296–306

leading area of the bearing sharply increase. The temperatures increasing the aeration level. But, at the aeration level 15, the
increase by about 41C compared with that in case of the friction parameter is reduced again due to higher oil
aeration level of 1/6 (6.6 vol%). This is because the shear of air temperature. Meanwhile, the axial leakage slightly changes
bubbles with higher aeration levels plays more important roles on changing the aeration level. The eccentricity ratio
in the oil film lubrication. increases on increasing the aeration level.
The non-dimensional parameters varying with changing
aeration level under the constant load operating condition
6.4. The effects of shaft speeds
are shown in Fig. 14. The friction parameter at the aeration
1
level, 12 is slightly reduced compared with that using pure
The pressure and temperature distributions of oil film
oil. This is because the pressure distributions are almost the
under the constant load operating condition with changing
same, but the viscosity at pure oil increases due to lower
shaft speed are shown in Figs. 15–17. The compared plots
temperature. Then, the friction parameter increases on
between the results in pure oil and in aerated oil are shown
in Figs. 16 and 17. The compared pressure distribution at
3
150,000 rpm is shown in Fig. 9.
The oil film pressure at the front area of the bearing
decreases on increasing the shaft speed. In the middle area,
Non-dimensional friction/load/axial leakage/ecc. ratio

2.5 on the contrary, the pressure increases on increasing the

shaft speed. On increasing the shaft speed, the increment in

2
1
Non-dimensional friction
Non-dimensional load(=constant) Air, 20000rpm, Tb,s=122°C, Ecc.=0.15830
1.5 Non-dimensional axial leakage No Air, 20000rpm, Tb,s=122°C, Ecc.=0.11600
Eccentricity ratio 0.8
Pressure [MPa]

1 0.6

0.4
0.5

0.2
0
0 0.05 0.1 0.15 0.2
Aeration level (Rin/Din) 0
0 90 180 270 360
Fig. 14. Non-dimensional parameters’ distribution, Oil A at 150,000 rpm. Circumferential Location [degree]

1 1
20000rpm, Tb,s=122°C, Ecc.=0.15830 Air, 50000rpm, Tb,s=125°C, Ecc.=0.13755
50000rpm, Tb,s=125°C, Ecc.=0.13755 No Air, 50000rpm, Tb,s=125°C, Ecc.=0.109211
0.8 0.8
150000rpm, Tb,s=140°C, Ecc.=0.13000
Pressure [MPa]
Pressure [MPa]

0.6 0.6

0.4 0.4

0.2 0.2

0 0
0 90 180 270 360 0 90 180 270 360
Circumferential Location [degree] Circumferential Location [degree]

Fig. 15. Pressure distribution at the middle of a bearing plane at various Fig. 16. Pressure distribution at the middle of a bearing plane at various
shaft revolutions, Oil A, rin/din ¼ 1/8. (a) 20,000 rpm, (b) 50,000 rpm. shaft revolutions, Oil A, no air and rin/din ¼ 1/8.
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S.M. Chun / Tribology International 41 (2008) 296–306 305

250
Air, 20000rpm, Tb,s=122°C, Ecc.=0.15830 9
No Air, 20000rpm, Tb,s=122°C, Ecc.=0.11600 Non-dim. friction, Air
Air, 50000rpm, Tb,s=125°C, Ecc.=0.12755 8 Non-dim. friction, No Air
No Air, 50000rpm, Tb,s=125°C, Ecc.=0.09211

Non-dimensional friction
200 Air, 150000rpm, Tb,s=140°C, Ecc.=0.13000o
Temperature [°C]

7
No Air, 150000rpm, Tb,s=140°C, Ecc.=0.10000
6

150 5

3
100
0 90 180 270 360
2
Circumferential Location [degree]
2 4 6 8 10 12 14 15
Fig. 17. Temperature distribution at the middle of a bearing plane at Shaft Speed (rpm) x104
various shaft revolutions, Oil A, no air and rin/din ¼ 1/8.

0.5
oil film temperature becomes higher. For example, as the Non-dim. load, Air & No Air
Non-dim. axial leakage, Air
shaft speed increases from 50,000 to 150,000 rpm, the Non-dim. axial leakage, No Air
0.4
load/axial leakage/ecc. ratio

increment is about 45 1C. Meanwhile, on increasing from Eccentricity ratio, Air

20,000 to 50,000 rpm, the increment is about 12 1C.
Comparing the effects of pure oil and aerated oil, the
pressure and temperature in the oil film of aerated oil
increase more than those of pure oil.
The calculated non-dimensional parameters under con-
stant load condition for both pure oil and aerated oil are
shown in Fig. 18. Here, the temperature of bush and shaft,
Tb,s, is 122, 125, 128, 131, 135, and 140 1C at 20,000, 50,000,
70,000, 100,000, 130,000, and 150,000 rpm, respectively. As
we can see, even though the bearing load is constant, the
non-dimensional load parameters decrease on increasing the
speed of shaft. This is because the expression of the non-
dimensional parameter includes the speed of shaft at the
denominator. On increasing the shaft speed, the value of
friction parameter decreases and eccentricity ratio decreases
at lower rpm, but slightly increases at higher rpm. The axial
leakage parameter increases except below 50,000 rpm. At
20,000 rpm speed of the shaft, the friction parameter related
to aerated oil turns out to be higher than that for pure oil,
and the axial leakage parameters are lower than those for
pure oil. This is because the pressure distributions of aerated
oil are much higher than those of pure oil. But the differences
in temperatures are comparatively small. Under extremely
high shaft speeds, like 150,000 rpm, the high shear effects on
aerated oil and the high temperature effects cancel out each
other. So, the bearing friction shows very small difference
between aerated oil and pure oil.
7. Conclusions
The results of this study are concluded as follows:
1. Under constant bearing load condition, with the four
holes, lower oil temperature is expected compared with
Eccentricity ratio, No Air
0.3
0.2
0.1
0
2 4 6 8 10 12 14 15
Shaft Speed (rpm) x104
Fig. 18. Non-dimensional parameters’ distribution, Oil A, no air and
rin/din ¼ 1/8. (a) Non-dimensional friction. (b) Non-dimensional load/
axial leakage/eccentricity ratio.
that with an axial groove. The temperature in aerated oil
drops compared with that in pure oil inside the bearing
with an axial groove. However, with four holes, the
temperature in aerated oil increases.
2. On increasing the aeration level at 150,000 rpm of the
shaft speed under constant bearing load condition, the
pressure and temperature increase as usual.
3. At lower high speed of the shaft, like 20,000 rpm, the
friction parameter related to aerated oil turns out to be
higher than that for pure oil. This is because the pressure
distributions of aerated oil are much higher than those
of pure oil. Under extremely high shaft speed, like
150,000 rpm, the high shear effects on aerated oil and
the high temperature effects cancel out each other. So,
the bearing friction shows almost no difference between
aerated oil and pure oil.
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