SQUEEZE FILM BEARINGS

G SURESH KRISHNA

INTRODUCTION
A hydrodynamic bearing develops load carrying capacity by virtue of relative tangential motion of two surfaces separated by a fluid film and it requires a bearing geometry so that a convergent fluid film in the direction of motion is produced. But a positive can be pressure generated in a fluid film placed between two parallel surfaces if the surfaces move towards each other in normal direction. The load carrying phenomenon arises from the fact that a viscous fluid cannot be instantaneously squeezed out from the interface with two surfaces that are moving towards each other and this action provides a cushioning effect in bearings. When the load is taken off or two surfaces move away each other, the fluid is sucked in and the film can often recover its thickness in time for the next application. The squeeze film action is seen in many cases. 1. During approach of faces of disk clutch under lubricated conditions. 2. During walking with rubber soles on wet pavements. 3. Squeeze film damper. 4. Rolling of automobile tyres on wet roads.

Squeeze film damper

In simplest form, the squeeze film damper consists of an inner bearing and an outer bearing. The inner bearing OD is permitted to move radially, but is prevented from spinning, typically by using a loose fitting anti-rotation pin. The inner bearing OD is the bearing journal of the squeeze film damper and it operates against the bearing housing bore, which acts as the damper bearing. The gap between the squeeze film damper journal and the damper bearing is filled with a lubricant. During operation, the journal moves due to the rotor dynamic forces and the fluid is displaced to accommodate this motion. As a result,

hydrodynamic forces are generated in the oil film that is developed between the damper journal and the damper bearing. This helps dissipate vibration energy and lower the forces transmitted to the support structure.

REYNOLDS EQUATION FOR SQUEEZE FILMS

Squeeze film is a term denoting a hydrodynamic film that sustains a negative h/t, i.e. when the opposing surfaces are being squeezed together. An extremely useful characteristic of squeeze films is that they provide increased load capacity (although temporary) when a bearing is suddenly subjected to an abnormally high load. This feature is essential to the reliability of crankcase bearings which must withstand transient combustion forces. A further aspect of squeeze films is that the squeeze film force is always opposite in direction to the motion of either bearing surface. Squeeze film forces contribute to the vibration stability of a bearing. To analyse squeeze film forces, the term h/t is kept in the Reynolds equation and is given precedence over the film geometry term h/x. The Reynolds equation with the squeeze term is in the form.

Assuming an isoviscous lubricant and zero entraining velocity this equation becomes:

This equation defines the hydrodynamic pressure field when the wedge effect is absent, e.g. when the load vector rotates as mentioned previously. It can be integrated in terms of a specified bearing geometry to provide load capacity, maximum pressure or any other required bearing characteristic in terms of h/t. The squeeze time which means the time required for film thickness to

decline to some critical minimum value can also be determined by integrating h/t with respect to time. To illustrate the principles involved, an example consisting of two long parallel plates squeezed is considered.

PRESSURE DISTRIBUTION
For two parallel and infinitely long plates: h f(x) and p/y = 0

Squeeze film between two parallel plates.

Pressure gradient:

Load Capacity: The load that the plates can support, or more exactly the force separating the plates, can be obtained by integrating the pressure distribution over the bearing area

Squeeze Time: The time necessary for the film thickness between parallel plates to change between specified limits

Similarly for finite parallel plates, the squeeze time is given by

For flat circular plates

Where t is the time required for the film thickness to decline from h1 to h2 [s]; R is the radius of a circular plate [m]; h1 is the initial film thickness [m]; h2 is the final film thickness [m]; W is the load [N].

CAVITATION AND SQUEEZE FILMS

In a system where positive and negative squeeze occurs in the presence of a liquid lubricant, cavitation is almost inevitable. Cavitation affects squeeze film forces by the formation of compressible bubbles in an otherwise incompressible lubricant. Bubbles can also persist or grow in size by coalescence until the squeeze characteristics of the system are fundamentally changed. The persistence of bubbles even under temporarily positive lubricant pressure is due to the much slower rate of bubble dissolution as compared to the rate of bubble formation.

Mechanism of bubble accretion under oscillating squeeze

APPLICATIONS:Squeeze film dampers have traditionally have been used to overcome the stability and vibration problems that are not adequately handled with conventional bearings. This translates to lower transmitted forces and long bearing life particularly for machinery that operates at super critical speeds. Some of the examples of squeeze film dampers are 1. Squeeze film damper with a centred spring. 2. O-ring supported dampers. 3. Squirrel cage supported damper.( used in aircrafts engines) 4. Integral centering spring damper.

SUMMARY:A positive pressure is developed in a fluid place between two surfaces when the surfaces move towards each other. The finite time required to squeeze the fluid out of the gap provides the squeezing action that act as cushioning effect in bearings. In this mechanism, a parallel film produces extremely large load carrying capacity. The squeeze film lubrication phenomenon is observed in several applications such as gears, bearings, machine tools, rolling elements and automotive engines.