Effects of surface morphology on the performance of water-lubricated thrust bearings

Purpose As the crucial support component of the propeller power system, the reliability of the operation of submersible pumps is influenced by the lubrication performance of water-lubricated thrust bearings. When the water-lubricated thrust bearings are under start-stop or heavy load conditions, the effect of surface morphology is crucial as the mixed lubrication regime is encountered. This paper aims to develop one mixed lubrication model for the water-lubricated thrust bearings to predict the effects of surface skewness, kurtosis and roughness orientation on the loading carrying capacity and tribological behavior. Design/methodology/approach This paper developed one improved mixed lubrication model specifically for the water-lubricated thrust bearing system. In this model, the hydrodynamic model was improved by using the height of the rough surface and its probability density function, combined with the average flow model. The asperity contact model was improved by using the equation for the Pearson system of frequency curves to characterize the non-Gaussian aspect of surface roughness distribution. Findings According to the results, negative skewness, large kurtosis and lateral surface pattern can improve the tribological performance of water-lubricated thrust bearings. Optimizing the surface morphology is a reasonable design method that can improve the performance of water-lubricated thrust bearings. Originality/value In this paper, one mixed lubrication model specifically for the water-lubricated thrust bearing with the effect of surface roughness into consideration was developed. Based on the developed model, the effect of surface morphology on tribological behavior can be evaluated. Peer review The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/ILT-08-2023-0247/