Influence of the axial profiled bearings on the component performance

It is well known the effect of localized loading on the bearing edges and thin oil film thickness on such regions due to high mechanical loads generated by combustion in conjunction with stiffness of the mechanical parts surrounding the bearing, i.e. engine block or connecting rod and shaft.

The developed work takes in consideration the elastohydrodynamic behavior of a connecting rod bearing with pronounced loading leading to low oil film thickness on the bearing edges.

Numerical simulation showed reduction of localized loading on bearing edges by introducing axial profiling. The numerical results were confirmed on actual engine test as well as on bench tests. The later showed 10% increase of load carrying capacity (LCC) for a regular bimetallic aluminum bearing.

This study can lead to optimized bearing design to improve its performance by minimizing the contact pressure on the bearing edges and consequently increase significantly its LCC.