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Lubricants
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Water-Lubricated Bearings
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Water-Lubricated Bearings

A special issue of Lubricants (ISSN 2075-4442).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 November 2023) | Viewed by 22775

Printed Edition Available!
A printed edition of this Special Issue is available here.

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Zhongliang Xie

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Mechanics, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi’an 710072, China
Interests: lubrication mechanism of bearings
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Yanfeng Han

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Mechanical and Vehicle Engineering, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400044, China
Interests: water-lubricated bearings; AI tribology; transmission tribology; interface science

Special Issue Information

This Special Issue is devoted to research on the lubrication performance of water-lubricated bearings. This includes but is not limited to the lubrication mechanism of bearing, structural design, fluid–structure coupling, friction and wear, optimization analysis, dynamic characteristics, surface texture treatment, groove design and bionic application, etc.

Dear Colleagues,

In recent years, under the guidance of the “emission peak" and "carbon neutrality”, the international community has set off an upsurge of the research on green and clean energy. Therefore, traditional bearings with oil as the lubricant have begun to withdraw from the stage of shipping. Water-lubricated bearings possess many advantages, such as high cleanliness, high reliability, high specific heat capacity, high efficiency and high vibration resistance. Thanks to experimental and numerical research that has been conducted on water-lubricated bearings, the main performance characteristics have been mastered, and mature structural design and standardization systems have also been established. At present, water-lubricated bearings are widely employed in ships, submarines, water pumps and other fields. As the crucial support component of power systems, the performance and service life of water-lubricated bearings directly determine the efficiency and safety of ships in navigation. When a ship works on the sea, the shaft is at high-speed condition. After being disturbed by the stern shaft and bearing’s weight, the problems of poor lubrication, load capacity reduction, poor stability and serious friction still exist.

We are pleased to invite you to submit a research paper to the Special Issue. We plan to collect 10 papers about the lubrication and friction performance of water-lubricated bearings, and will print them in book form if this number is reached.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:

  • lubrication mechanism
  • structural design
  • fluid–structure coupling
  • friction and wear
  • optimization analysis
  • dynamic characteristics
  • surface texture treatment
  • groove design
  • lubrication regime
  • dynamic behaviors
  • tribological performance
  • bionic application.

Prof. Dr. Zhongliang Xie
Dr. Yanfeng Han
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Lubricants is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • water-lubricated bearing
  • lubrication regime
  • dynamic behaviors
  • tribological performances
  • rotor dynamics

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue polices can be found here.

Published Papers (11 papers)

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Research

18 pages, 8821 KiB  
Article
Investigation of Cavitated Flow in Water-Lubricated Bearings Considering Surface Roughness, Thermal, and Elastic Effects
by Dimitris Charamis and Pantelis G. Nikolakopoulos
Lubricants 2024, 12(4), 107; https://doi.org/10.3390/lubricants12040107 - 24 Mar 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1476
Abstract
Contrary to conventional journal bearings, which operate using oil-based substances, water-lubricated bearings (WLBs) utilize water and, thus, constitute a more environmentally responsible solution. The shipping industry, among others, as already been introduced to this technology with a lot of commercial ships using water-lubricated [...] Read more.
Contrary to conventional journal bearings, which operate using oil-based substances, water-lubricated bearings (WLBs) utilize water and, thus, constitute a more environmentally responsible solution. The shipping industry, among others, as already been introduced to this technology with a lot of commercial ships using water-lubricated stern tube systems; in other cases, hydropower plants manage to keep up with the strict environmental regulations by implementing the use of WLBs in water turbines. However, there are a lot of challenges when it comes to transitioning from conventional bearings to water-based ones. Such challenges are caused by the low viscosity of water and lead to phenomena of high complexity. Such phenomena are related but not limited to cavitation and turbulent flow due to the interaction between the lubricating water and bearing surface. In this study, a numerical method will be used to simulate the fluid film and bearing geometries in order to perform a thermo-elastohydrodynamic (TEHD) analysis. The dynamic characteristics of the bearing will be calculated and the results will be discussed. The novelty of the study is evident in but not limited to the determination of the elastic deformation of a WLB during operation, as well as the effect of surface roughness, cavitation, and thermal effects on bearing characteristics. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Water-Lubricated Bearings)
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17 pages, 6750 KiB  
Article
Influence of Non-Parallelism on the Micro-Interface Lubrication Mechanism of Water-Lubricated Bearings
by Lin Sun, Jianchao Shi, Tao Jiang, Zhen Li, Yu Wang and Zhaozeng Liu
Lubricants 2024, 12(2), 49; https://doi.org/10.3390/lubricants12020049 - 8 Feb 2024
Viewed by 1456
Abstract
Water-lubricated bearings can effectively solve the pollution problem caused by lubricant leakage and are used in offshore engineering equipment for this reason. Aiming at the problems of unclear and undefined micro-interface lubrication mechanisms of water-lubricated bearings, this paper investigates the influence of non-parallel [...] Read more.
Water-lubricated bearings can effectively solve the pollution problem caused by lubricant leakage and are used in offshore engineering equipment for this reason. Aiming at the problems of unclear and undefined micro-interface lubrication mechanisms of water-lubricated bearings, this paper investigates the influence of non-parallel micro-cavities on the micro-interface lubrication mechanism of bearings. Based on a single micro-cavity model, the lubrication mechanism of micro-cavities is studied in this paper. Lubrication models of the non-parallel contact friction pairs model are built, and the effect of the non-parallelism on the lubrication performance of the micro-cavities is obtained using the computational fluid dynamics method. The results show that, under the same Reynolds number and cavitation pressure, the wedge effect caused by the non-parallelism causes the pressure at the inlet to rise, thus increasing the load-carrying capacity. The existence of non-parallelism limits the rise of the high pressure of the inertia effect on the micro-cavities and reduces the load-carrying capacity. The presence of non-parallelism decreases the area of the negative pressure proportion and increases the proportion of the positive pressure zone inside the micro-cavities, thus increasing the load-carrying capacity. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Water-Lubricated Bearings)
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21 pages, 12334 KiB  
Article
Analysis of Water-Lubricated Journal Bearings Assisted by a Small Quantity of Secondary Lubricating Medium with Navier–Stokes Equation and VOF Model
by Xiaohan Zhang, Tao Yu, Hao Ji, Feng Guo, Wenbin Duan, Peng Liang and Ling Ma
Lubricants 2024, 12(1), 16; https://doi.org/10.3390/lubricants12010016 - 7 Jan 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2333
Abstract
Due to the low viscosity of water, water-lubricated bearings are susceptible to significant wear and noise in demanding operating conditions. It has been demonstrated that a small quantity of secondary lubricating medium can improve the lubrication performance of water-lubricated contact surfaces and achieve [...] Read more.
Due to the low viscosity of water, water-lubricated bearings are susceptible to significant wear and noise in demanding operating conditions. It has been demonstrated that a small quantity of secondary lubricating medium can improve the lubrication performance of water-lubricated contact surfaces and achieve the purpose of temporary risk aversion. As a further step, the feasibility of the proposed idea is experimentally validated on a water-lubricated bearing test bench. A numerical model that couples the N–S equation and the VOF model is then developed to investigate the behavior of the flow field lubricated by pure water and water with a small quantity of the secondary lubricating medium. This model provides the predictions of important quantities such as the load-carrying capacity, the secondary lubricating medium volume fraction and the contact pressure under different lubricated conditions. The results show that the secondary lubricating medium can enter into the contact region and improve the lubrication performance of water-lubricated bearings, especially at lower shaft rotational speeds. Therefore, the feasibility of our proposed idea is verified, which provides a promising approach to reduce the wear and friction of water-lubricated bearings when they encounter short-time severe working conditions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Water-Lubricated Bearings)
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14 pages, 7644 KiB  
Article
Dual Network Co-Crosslinked HNBR Composites with Enhanced Tribological Properties under Water Lubrication
by Hao Yu, Wuxuan Zheng, Caixia Zhang, Shoubing Chen, Guangke Tian and Tingmei Wang
Lubricants 2023, 11(12), 534; https://doi.org/10.3390/lubricants11120534 - 18 Dec 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2004
Abstract
Water-lubricated bearings play a critical role in underwater propulsion systems but are often prone to failure due to mechanical wear and vibration, especially under high loads and prolonged friction. In response to this issue, our study introduces a novel approach: a dual network [...] Read more.
Water-lubricated bearings play a critical role in underwater propulsion systems but are often prone to failure due to mechanical wear and vibration, especially under high loads and prolonged friction. In response to this issue, our study introduces a novel approach: a dual network co-crosslinking strategy utilizing hydrogenated nitrile butadiene rubber (HNBR). This strategy connects the rubber network with the epoxy network through epoxidized Eucommia ulmoides gum. A comprehensive analysis was conducted to assess the resulting composite’s damping, tribological, and mechanical properties. The results show that the material has excellent mechanical, damping, and tribological properties relative to pure HNBR, with a 65.9% increase in the damping temperature domain, a 78.5% increase in tensile strength, a low coefficient of friction of 0.022, and a high resistance to abrasion of 3.87 × 10−6 mm3/Nm. The successful synthesis of HNBR-based composites via the dual network co-crosslinking strategy underscores their potential as a practical solution for improving the reliability and prolonging the service life of water-lubricated bearings. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Water-Lubricated Bearings)
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26 pages, 19060 KiB  
Article
The Influence of Scratches on the Tribological Performance of Friction Pairs Made of Different Materials under Water-Lubrication Conditions
by Qingchen Liang, Peng Liang, Feng Guo, Shuyi Li, Xiaohan Zhang and Fulin Jiang
Lubricants 2023, 11(10), 449; https://doi.org/10.3390/lubricants11100449 - 17 Oct 2023
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 1972
Abstract
Water-lubricated bearings are widely used in marine equipment, and the lubricating water often contains hard particles. Once these particles enter the gap between the bearing and the shaft, they can scratch the smooth surfaces of the shaft and bearing, influencing the working performance [...] Read more.
Water-lubricated bearings are widely used in marine equipment, and the lubricating water often contains hard particles. Once these particles enter the gap between the bearing and the shaft, they can scratch the smooth surfaces of the shaft and bearing, influencing the working performance of the bearing system. To investigate the effect of scratch parameters on tribological performance, this paper conducts multiple block-on-ring experiments and constructs a mixed-lubrication model under water-lubrication conditions. The results show that among the three commonly used bearing materials, the tribological performance of graphite block is the most sensitive to scratches on the test ring surface. Under the condition of one scratch (N = 1), the loading area of water film pressure is divided into two separate zones (a trapezoidal pressure zone and an extremely low-pressure zone). In addition, the variation of maximum water film pressure is determined by the positive effect (hydrodynamic pressure effect of fluid) and negative effect (“piercing effect” of the asperities). Compared with the scratch depth and scratch location, the scratch width has the most significant effect on the tribological performance of the block-on-ring system. The maximum contact pressure is located at both edges of the scratch due to the formation of a water sac structure. The scratch has a great influence on the transition of the lubrication state of the block-on-ring system. The existence of scratches increases the critical speed at which the lubrication state transits from mixed-lubrication to elastohydrodynamic lubrication, and the critical speed is directly proportional to the scratch width. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Water-Lubricated Bearings)
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18 pages, 2858 KiB  
Article
Effect of Groove Structure on Lubrication Performance of Water-Lubricated Stern Tube Bearings
by Shengdong Zhang
Lubricants 2023, 11(9), 374; https://doi.org/10.3390/lubricants11090374 - 5 Sep 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1519
Abstract
This study investigated the lubrication characteristics (i.e., the groove ratio and width) of water-lubricated stern tube bearings, based on the flexibility matrix method and lubrication theory. Considering the elastic deformation of the lining, a fluid structure interaction (FSI) model of the surface micro-groove [...] Read more.
This study investigated the lubrication characteristics (i.e., the groove ratio and width) of water-lubricated stern tube bearings, based on the flexibility matrix method and lubrication theory. Considering the elastic deformation of the lining, a fluid structure interaction (FSI) model of the surface micro-groove texture of a water-lubricated stern tube bearing was established, and the correctness and rationality of the model were verified by experiments. Micro-grooved, surface-lubricated, water-lubricated stern tube bearings with three different cross-sectional shapes (rectangular, circular, and triangular) were designed. The influences of the groove area ratio and width on the bearing load-carrying capacity and friction coefficient were analyzed. At a groove area ratio of 0.31, the load-carrying capacity of the rectangular grooved stern tube bearing reached the maximum value and the friction coefficient reached the minimum value. It is recommended to design and use water-lubricated stern tube bearings, especially Thordon water-lubricated stern tube bearings, with rectangular micro-grooves, with a groove area ratio of 0.30–0.32, so that the best lubrication performance can be obtained. With the increase in the micro-groove width, the lubrication of water-lubricated stern tube bearings with partial rectangular micro-grooves is significantly better than that of others. Under the same conditions, the bearing load-carrying capacity and friction performance of local groove stern bearings is significantly better than that of global groove stern bearings. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Water-Lubricated Bearings)
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18 pages, 11282 KiB  
Article
A Fluid-Structure Interaction Method for the Elastohydrodynamic Lubrication Characteristics of Rubber-Plastic Double-Layer Water-Lubricated Journal Bearings
by Yuankang Shen, Yao Zhang, Xiuli Zhang, Hongyu Zheng, Guorui Wei and Mingyang Wang
Lubricants 2023, 11(6), 240; https://doi.org/10.3390/lubricants11060240 - 28 May 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1983
Abstract
This paper proposes a fluid-structure interaction (FSI) numerical calculation method for investigation of the elastohydrodynamic lubrication performance of the rubber-plastic double-layer water-lubricated journal bearings. The accuracy and rapidity of the FSI method are improved by studying the effect of mesh density and by [...] Read more.
This paper proposes a fluid-structure interaction (FSI) numerical calculation method for investigation of the elastohydrodynamic lubrication performance of the rubber-plastic double-layer water-lubricated journal bearings. The accuracy and rapidity of the FSI method are improved by studying the effect of mesh density and by comparing the calculation results with those in the literature. Based on the proposed method, a series of numerical simulations are carried out to reveal the influence of operating conditions and structural parameters on the lubrication performance of the rubber-plastic bearings. Numerical results show that the bush deformation of the rubber-plastic bearing is between that of the rubber bearing and the plastic bearing, and the deformation area is close to that of the rubber bearing. The bearing load carrying capacity increases significantly with the rotational speed, eccentricity ratio, bearing length, and decrease with the clearance. But the influences of the plastic layer elastic modulus and thickness on bearing load are unremarkable. The effect of bush deformation on bearing load is noticeable when the eccentricity ratio is more than 0.8. The results are expected to provide design references for the bearings. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Water-Lubricated Bearings)
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15 pages, 5205 KiB  
Article
Numerical Analysis of the Mixed-Lubrication Performance of Staved Stern Tube Bearings Lubricated with Water
by Dongxing Tang, Yanfeng Han, Lei Yin and Yi Chen
Lubricants 2023, 11(4), 168; https://doi.org/10.3390/lubricants11040168 - 8 Apr 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1821
Abstract
The present study aims to establish a mixed lubrication model for staved stern tube bearings lubricated with water, in which the average Reynolds equation and a KE elastic–plastic contact model are introduced to calculate the hydrodynamic pressure and contact pressure, respectively. The difference [...] Read more.
The present study aims to establish a mixed lubrication model for staved stern tube bearings lubricated with water, in which the average Reynolds equation and a KE elastic–plastic contact model are introduced to calculate the hydrodynamic pressure and contact pressure, respectively. The difference in the mixed lubrication behaviors between circular- and flat-staved bearings is compared; moreover, the effects of the number of staves on the mixed-lubrication performance of these two kinds of staved bearing are investigated. The mechanism of action of the number of staves in staved bearings on the mixed-lubrication performance is revealed. The numerical results show that the number of staves has a significant effect on the mixed-lubrication performance in circular- and flat-staved bearings. Furthermore, there is an optimal value for the number of staves, shown to be 30 in the current simulation, for improving the mixed-lubrication performance of flat-staved stern tube bearings lubricated with water. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Water-Lubricated Bearings)
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14 pages, 4611 KiB  
Article
The Difference in Tribological Characteristics between CFRPEEK and Stainless Steel under Water Lubrication in Friction Testing Machine and Axial Piston Pump
by Donglin Li, Xianshuai Ma, Shuai Wang, Junhua Wang, Fang Yang and Yinshui Liu
Lubricants 2023, 11(4), 158; https://doi.org/10.3390/lubricants11040158 - 26 Mar 2023
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2161
Abstract
A water lubricating axial piston pump (WLPP) is the core power component of a green and environmentally friendly water hydraulic system. The friction and wear of the friction pairs of a WLPP are the key factors that restrict its development. In order to [...] Read more.
A water lubricating axial piston pump (WLPP) is the core power component of a green and environmentally friendly water hydraulic system. The friction and wear of the friction pairs of a WLPP are the key factors that restrict its development. In order to explore the friction and wear mechanism of materials, the tribological properties of CFRPEEK against 316L and 1Cr17Ni2 under water lubrication were investigated in a friction testing machine and an axial piston pump, respectively. An environmental scanning electron microscope (ESEM), confocal laser scanning microscopy and a surface profiler were used to analyze the morphology of the samples. In a friction testing machine, two different metals are paired with CFRPEEK, and the friction coefficient and wear rate barely show any differences. The wear rate of CFRPEEK is two orders of magnitude higher than that of metal. In the WLPP, 316L can hardly be paired with CFRPEEK, while 1Cr17Ni2 works well. The wear of 1Cr17Ni2 in the WLPP is greater than that of CFRPEEK. The high-pressure water film lubrication friction pairs cause the wear of the metal and show the difference in these two test methods. The wear mechanism is mainly abrasive wear. Improving the wear resistance of metals is very important for the development of WLPP. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Water-Lubricated Bearings)
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28 pages, 15978 KiB  
Article
Analysis of Nonlinear Time-Domain Lubrication Characteristics of the Hydrodynamic Journal Bearing System
by Changgang Lin, Fan Jian, Shili Sun, Can Sima, Libo Qi and Mingsong Zou
Lubricants 2023, 11(3), 145; https://doi.org/10.3390/lubricants11030145 - 17 Mar 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1703
Abstract
The nonlinear time-domain lubrication characteristics of the hydrodynamic journal bearing system are studied in this paper. The motion equation of the hydrodynamic journal bearing system is established based on the balance of the relationship among the water film force, journal inertia force, and [...] Read more.
The nonlinear time-domain lubrication characteristics of the hydrodynamic journal bearing system are studied in this paper. The motion equation of the hydrodynamic journal bearing system is established based on the balance of the relationship among the water film force, journal inertia force, and external load. The water film pressure distribution of the sliding bearing is calculated by the finite difference method. Firstly, the variation law of the water film pressure distribution with time under the external periodic load is calculated considering the inertial force of the journal. The influence of the initial eccentricity on the orbit of the journal center is studied. Secondly, the maximum water film pressure, the orbit of the journal center, eccentricity, water film pressure, and the minimum water film thickness of the bearing under the action of circumferential and unidirectional periodic external loads are calculated, and the effects of inertial force and rotational speed on the dynamic characteristics of the bearing are analyzed. Finally, the water film dynamic characteristics under low speed and heavy load are studied. The result shows that the pressure of the dimensionless water film caused by inertial force is reduced by 7 to 10 percent at the rotational speed between 200 r/min and 800 r/min, which means that the influence of inertia force cannot be ignored. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Water-Lubricated Bearings)
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18 pages, 3884 KiB  
Article
Theoretical Study on the Dynamic Characteristics of Marine Stern Bearing Considering Cavitation and Bending Deformation Effects of the Shaft
by Tao He, Zhongliang Xie, Zhiwu Ke, Lu Dai, Yong Liu, Can Ma and Jian Jiao
Lubricants 2022, 10(10), 242; https://doi.org/10.3390/lubricants10100242 - 29 Sep 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1935
Abstract
When the ship runs, owing to the superposition of the gravity of the shaft and resistance of water, with the increment in rotational speeds, the shaft will produce different degrees of bending deformation, which immensely reduces the power transmission efficiency. Based on the [...] Read more.
When the ship runs, owing to the superposition of the gravity of the shaft and resistance of water, with the increment in rotational speeds, the shaft will produce different degrees of bending deformation, which immensely reduces the power transmission efficiency. Based on the aforementioned problem, the present study focuses on the influences of bending deformation of the shaft with a cavitation effect on the dynamic characteristics of the stern bearing. The mixed lubrication model with bending deformation and cavitation effect is established. At present, the deflection curve equation is employed, the finite perturbation method is applied to calculate the dynamic coefficient, and the cavitation pressure is determined by the numerical method. According to the analysis, the variation laws of equivalent stiffness and natural frequency are exhibited. It is shown that the equivalent stiffness is more affected by the speeds, especially at low speeds; There is a critical speed between 130 rpm and 150 rpm, which makes the natural frequency strike the maximum value. Finally, the research results provide a theoretical basis for the ships to avoid large vibration during navigation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Water-Lubricated Bearings)
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