Feasibility of Applying Active Lubrication to Dynamically Loaded Fluid Film Bearings

The feasibility of modifying the dynamics of the thin fluid films of dynamically loaded journal bearings, using different strategies of active lubrication is studied in this work. A significant reduction in the vibration levels, wear and power friction losses, is expected. Particularly, the focus of this study is on the analysis of main crankshaft bearings, where the conventional hydrodynamic lubrication is modified by injecting oil at actively controllable pressures, through orifices circumferentially located along the bearing surface.