The effect of viscosity on the cavitation characteristics of high speed sleeve bearing

The effect of viscosity on the cavitation characteristics of a high speed sleeve bearing is investigated theoretically and experimentally. The cavitation characteristics, the cavitation shape and the cavitation location of a spiral oil wedge hydrodynamic bearing are investigated experimentally by using the transparent bearing and the high-speed camera. The generalized Reynolds equation is established with considerations of the cavitation mechanism based on the modified Elrod method in theory, and the cavitations of different viscosity sleeve bearings are analyzed and compared. It is shown that the cavitations are strip-shaped for both the high viscosity lubricant and the low viscosity lubricant, and in the rupture region of the oil film at a high speed, the oil vapour or bubbles are produced. With the decrease of the supply pressure and the increase of the rotating speed, the rupture area of the oil film increases distinctly. The cavitation area decreases distinctly and the quality of lubrication is better for the low viscosity lubricant than for the high viscosity lubricant. The experiment results in general are consistent with the theoretical results.