THERMAL EFFFECT ON THE PERFORMANCE OF STAINLESS STEEL JOURNAL BEARING WITH WATER LUBRICATION

Mechanical engineering

An investigation has been performed to observe and analyze the temperature rise in the sugar factory, specifically focusing on the plain journal bearing. These bearings are renowned for their ability to withstand heavy loads, medium load and operate at low speeds, making them suitable for sugar mill applications. The study aimed to simulate the working conditions of a sugar mill and identify the factors resulting to the temperature rise in the bearings, particularly in a polluted and contaminated environment. To achieve this, an experiment was conducted using stainless steel bearings lubricated with water at varying flow rates. It aimed to identify the causes of this rise in temperature by replicating the operating conditions found in a sugar mill. Factors such as self-load, speed, dirt, lubricants, and other relevant conditions were taken into account in the design of a plain journal bearing test rig. It was observed that insufficient internal lubricant supply could lead to failure of the plain bearings. Such failures not only impact the production costs of the industry but also pose risks to human safety. The outcomes of this investigation shows that the Q3 flow rate gives better thermal effect on journal bearing as compared to the other flow rate.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.