Hydrodynamic Characteristics of ER Journal Bearings with External Electric Field Imposed on the Contractive Part

The hydrodynamic characteristics of journal bearings with electrorheological (ER) fluid lubrication are studied in this article. The external applied electric field is partially imposed on the contractive part (arcwise) of the journal bearings. The bearing has a finite length and operates under incompressible laminar flow with steady conditions. The full three-dimensional Navier-Stokes (N-S) equations are solved numerically. The modified Bingham plastic model is used to describe the behavior of the ER fluid. In this study, the cavitation effects are also considered using viscosity modeling. The effects of electric field and eccentricity on the performance of journal bearings are investigated comprehensively.