Design of Journal Bearings

Assignment in IC Engine Design

Sreekanth S Panikker [ No. 15 ] 27-Jun-11

Vijay Krishnan [ No. 16 ]
S2- ICTM
 Design of Journal Bearings
Journal bearings are sliding contact bearings in which sliding action is along the
circumference of a circle or an arc of a circle carrying radial loads A journal bearing is a simple
bearing in which a shaft, or "journal", rotates in the bearing with a layer of oil or grease
separating the two parts through fluid dynamic effects. The shaft and bearing are generally both
simple polished cylinders with lubricant filling the gap. Rather than the lubricant just "reducing
friction" between the surfaces, letting one surface slide more easily against the other, the
lubricant is thick enough that once rotating, the surfaces do not come in contact at all. If oil is
used, it is generally fed into a hole in the bearing under high pressure. . The Journal is a part of
the shaft that rotates in the stationery bearing.

Composition of bearing materials

Babbits are the most commonly used bearing materials. Babbits have excellent
conformability and embeddability, but have relatively low compressive and fatigue strength,
particularly above 77°C. Babbits can seldom be used above about 121°C. Compositon of babbit
metals is as follows:
a. Tin-base babbits with 89% Sn, 8% Pb and 3% Cu,
b. Lead- base babbits with 75% Pb, 15% Sb and 10% Sn
Other materials such as gun metal ( 88 % Cu, 10%Sn, Zn 2%), tin bronze, leaded bronze,
copper lead alloy, aluminum bronze, aluminum alloys and cast iron are also used in many
applications.
Non-metallic bearings are made of carbon- graphite, rubber, wood and plastics. carbon-
graphite bearings are self-lubricating, chemically inert and used in food processing and other

IC Engines & Turbo Machinery Dept. Of Mechanical Engineering

Govt. Engineering College, Thrissur
equipments where contamination by oil or grease has to be prohibited. Rubber bearings have
excellent shock and vibration absorption capacity and are used in hydraulic turbines and pumps.
Bimetal and trimetal bearings are used in engine application to reduce the size of the
bearing and obtain good compatibility and more load capacity.
There are many bearings in several machineries which run at relatively low speeds and
high loads. Under these unfavorable conditions, hydrodynamic pressure developed is inadequate
to support the load and they operate under either mixed-film or boundary lubricated conditions as
depicted in the Stribeck curve shown in Fig Bearings operating in this regime have extensive
metal-to-metal contact and partial hydrodynamic lubrication.

Fig. Stribeck curve for bearing friction

Design Procedure:

i) According to the application of journal bearing given, assume values of

a) max. bearing pressure (p) ;

b) suitable absolute viscosity of oil (Z) ;
c) Minimum value of ;

d) ratio; [from Table 15.11 – Mahadevan, Reddy]

e) ratio [or Page 7.31 – PSG]

IC Engines & Turbo Machinery Dept. Of Mechanical Engineering

Govt. Engineering College, Thrissur
 ii) Use the relation, p = [eq. 15.18; Mahadevan, Reddy ]

To find the unknown parameter

iii) Find coefficient of friction, µ =

0.195 x 1010, for a full bearing;

[eq: 15.12; Mahadevan, Reddy]

iv) Find heat generated, Hg = µ W v [eq: 15.23; Mahadevan, Reddy]

v) Find heat dissipated, Hd = [eq: 15.41; Mahadevan, Reddy]

vi) If Hg > Hd , we need artificial cooling

Hg - Hd = Q = m Cp t watts.

IC Engines & Turbo Machinery Dept. Of Mechanical Engineering

Govt. Engineering College, Thrissur