Numerical Solution to Reynolds Equation for Micro Gas Journal Bearings

摘要

Reynolds equation for gas bearings is a nonlinear partial differential one and its analytical solution usually is difficult to obtain. Therefore numerical method is an effective means to investigate the performance of gas-lubricated journal bearings. In this paper, firstly the modified Reynolds equation for micro gas journal bearings based on Burgdorfer's first order slip boundary condition is put forward. The finite difference method (FDM) is employed to solve the modified Reynolds equation to obtain the pressure distribution for micro gas journal bearings under different reference Knudsen numbers. Numerical analysis shows that the pressure profiles for micro gas journal bearings decrease obviously with the reference Knudsen number increasing.