Optimum design of aramid-phenolic/glass-phenolic composite journal bearings

Composite journal bearings are increasingly employed in large journal bearings for marine applications because composite materials can eliminate the seizure problem between the journal and the bearing during the start and stop periods of journals. Recently, aramid/glass reinforced phenolic composite journal bearings have been employed rather than the asbestos-phenolic composite bearings due to the health hazard of asbestos. In this work, the mechanical properties of aramid/glass reinforced phenolic composite were measured in order to analyze the stress on the journal bearing using the finite element (FE) method. The failure modes of the aramid/glass reinforced phenolic composite journal bearings were observed. The modified dimensions of aramid/glass reinforced phenolic composite journal bearings and the optimum interference fit amount were suggested using the FE-analysis results.