Non-Newtonian lubrication of hybrid multi-recess spherical journal bearings with different geometric shapes of recess.

The present work is aimed to numerically analyze the synergistic effect of the geometric shapes of recess and non-linear behavior of the lubricant on 4-pocket hybrid multi-recess spherical journal bearings. Recesses with square, circular, triangular, and elliptical shapes have been investigated. The influence of non-Newtonian lubricant has been considered using cubic shear stress law model. The performance parameters have been calculated for typically chosen values of non-linear factor. The finite element technique is used to solve the modified Reynolds equation. The results demonstrate that effect of recess shapes and non-linear factor significantly affects bearing performance. The proper selection of recess shapes and non-linear factor is needed to obtain an enhanced performance of hybrid multi-recess spherical journal bearings. • Finite element modeling has been carried out for hybrid multi-recess spherical journal bearings. • The non-linear behavior of the lubricants has been investigated using the cubic stress law model. • The influence of various geometric shapes of recess has been studied. • The interactive effect of recess shapes and non-linear factors significantly affects bearing performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]