An experimental analysis of the hydrodynamic contribution of textured thrust bearings during steady-state operation: A comparison with the untextured parallel surface configuration

TLDR

Textured surfaces in tribology have been extensively studied, with various shapes and arrangements shown to improve lubrication efficiency by reducing friction and increasing load capacity, though optimal performance depends on specific geometrical configurations and operating conditions. This study experimentally investigates how surface texturing affects the steady‑state behavior of thrust bearings through local measurements. An experimental rig equipped with 80 sensors, including thermocouples and pressure transducers, measured the film‑pad interface in five hydrodynamic thrust bearings, four of which were textured. Results indicate that textured thrust bearings can lower friction by up to 30 % at low loads, while at high loads their performance is comparable to or worse than that of an untextured planar bearing.

Abstract

Textured surfaces are the subject of a great deal of research work in tribology, which mainly involves numerical studies of lubricated contacts. A variety of shapes and arrangements of textures can be found, these being as numerous as the different authors. Depending on the configuration, it has been shown that the presence of the texture can provide better lubrication efficiency through both a reduction of friction and an increase in load-carrying capacity. However, improving bearing performance implies a specific geometrical configuration for given operating conditions. The improvement in lubricated contact performance by texturing the active surface has been demonstrated using experimental studies concerning, for example, pin-on-disk, mechanical seal, camshaft, journal bearing, thrust bearing, and piston ring set-ups. The objective of the present experimental analysis is to provide, using local measurements, a better understanding of the influence of surface texturing on the steady-state behavior of thrust bearings. To achieve this goal, the experimental device is equipped with 80 sensors such as thermocouples and pressure transducers which allowed a proper assessment of the phenomenology at the film/pad interface. The tests are conducted on five hydrodynamic thrust bearings, among which four are textured. Results show that, for the studied configurations, the textured thrust bearings can help to reduce friction up to 30% at low loads while for heavy loads, their performance is equivalent or even lower than that of an untextured planar bearing.