Axial Flow Seal/Bearing Efficient Pressure Formulation for a Reynolds Equation Solution

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Current fluid film seal/bearing pressure numerical solutions taking into account both circumferential and axial lubricant flows are not in wide spread use. The most common method is to solve a two dimensional finite element method of Reynolds equation. However, this type of solution often leads to a long computer solution times when employed in an advanced seal/bearing code. A new approximate solution of Reynolds equation for oil seal or bearing flows is proposed in this paper which includes the axial flow modeling. The objective is achieved by means of an axial approximation that can be used to develop a one dimensional centerline circumferential pressure finite element solution to Reynolds equation. Optimization of the parameters associated with the approximate solution parameters is shown. Example seal/bearing pressure and load capacity calculations are presented and the solution verified by comparison with a full finite element 2-D solution. Also, the method of calculating the axial and circumferential lubricant flows as well as axial and circumferential power losses are presented and validated.