A study on the effect of the clearance on the contact stress and kinematics of polymeric composite journal bearings

摘要

In this article the effect of the clearance on the contact stress and kinematics of a polymeric composite journal bearing is investigated. To this purpose a test rig is devised, which is capable to measure the tribological characteristics of the large-scale composite bearings. The kinematics of the setup is simulated by a 2D FEM model. Moreover, to evaluate the contact area between the bearing and the shaft, pressure indicator films are used and a simplified 3D model is provided. Simulation results correspond closely to the experimental data, and it is shown that the clearance variation can have a big impact on the contact stress distribution.