The force of the solid contact (Fsc
) between the bearing surface and the shaft surface and the friction
force (Ffri
) generated in the crankpin bearing have a great influence on the
lubrication performance of the crankpin bearing in the engine. Therefore, the
micro-circular texture (MCT) has been proposed and designed on the bearing
surface of the crankpin bearing for ameliorating its lubrication performance. To
evaluate the effectiveness of MCT in detail, based on the lubricating model of
the crankpin bearing under the impaction of external load F
0, the influence of the density, depth (hMCT
), and radius (rMCT
) of MCT on the characteristics of the pressure (p) of
oil film, thickness of oil film (h), force of solid contacts,
and force of the friction in the crankpin bearing are also investigated,
respectively. An algorithmic program written in a MATLAB environment is then
applied to simulate the lubrication equations of the crankpin bearing and MCT.
Some outstanding results of the study have been achieved as follows: (i) all the
results of p, h, Fsc
, and Ffri
with MCT are significantly improved in comparison with those without
MCT; thus, the lubrication performance of the crankpin bearing with MCT added is
better than that without MCT. (ii) To better improve the lubrication performance
of the crankpin bearing, the density of MCT 12 × 6, depth of
hMCT
= 15 μm, and radius of 0.25 < rMCT
< 0.5 mm should be used for designing MCT. (iii) The MCT in the
hydrodynamic lubrication mode improves the lubrication performance of the
crankpin bearing lower than the MCT in the mixed lubrication mode. Therefore,
MCT should be designed over a portion of the bearing surface in the mixed
lubrication mode. This not only reduces the complexity and manufacturing cost of
MCT but also improves the lubrication performance of the crankpin bearing.
