Numerical simulation on startup performance of thrust bearing under different acceleration scenarios

Purpose This paper aims to study the startup performance of thrust bearing. The effects of acceleration scenarios, roughness, the area ratio of texture and texture depth on the transient startup performance of the thrust bearing were analyzed. Design/methodology/approach The lubrication model is solved by the Reynolds equation with the mass-conservation boundary condition. The Greenwood and Tripp contact model is used to predict asperity contact load. The finite volume method is used to discretize the governing equations. Findings By studying the bearing performance with different acceleration functions, it was found that the higher the acceleration at the beginning of the startup, the faster the thrust bearing operates under the hydrodynamic lubrication regime in the start stage. It appears that the friction and contact time of asperity increase with the increasing roughness. The optimal area ratio of texture is within 30%–50%. The depth of texture ranging from 1 to 2 is the best. Originality/value This paper proposes a transient mixed lubrication analysis model of the thrust bearing. This model can be used to analyze the variations of tribological performance and lubrication regime of the thrust bearing under different acceleration scenarios. Peer review The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/ILT-09-2022-0268/