Centrifugal effects on the dynamic characteristics of high speed hydrostatic thrust bearing lubricated by low viscosity fluid

The effect of the centrifugal force of the fluid film on the performance of the high speed hydrostatic thrust bearing lubricated by low viscosity fluid cannot be neglected. Considering the centrifugal inertia effect, concentrated inertia effect at the recess edge, and the misalignment effect, the thermo-hydrodynamic lubrication model is established by using the reduced Navier–Stokes equation, the energy equation, and the bulk flow theory. The effects of centrifugal forces on dynamic performances of the high speed thrust bearing with different supply pressures and rotational speeds have been analyzed systematically. The results show that the centrifugal force reduces the axial and angular stiffness and hardly affects the damping coefficients; the centrifugal effects decrease with the increasing of eccentricity ratio and misalignment angle.