CFD and Experimental Study of Cavitation Behavior in Three-Lobe Journal Bearings Lubricated with TiO₂-Based Nanofluids
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Abstract
Three-lobe journal bearings are widely used in high-speed rotating machinery due to their superior stability and load-carrying capacity. However, they are susceptible to vapor cavitation in the diverging region, which weakens the lubricant film and degrades performance. This study presents a combined numerical and experimental investigation of pressure distribution in three-lobe journal bearings under cavitating conditions, comparing a base oil (Mobil DTE 24) with a TiO₂-enhanced nanolubricant. Simulations were performed using the Zwart–Gerber–Belamri (ZGB) cavitation model within a multiphase CFD framework in ANSYS Workbench 2024R1 at operating speeds of 500- 1000 rpm. Results were validated against experimental pressure measurements at twelve angular positions using a custom-built test rig. For the base lubricant, CFD accurately predicted peak pressure near 210° and vapor cavitation between 240° and 330°, with deviations within ±0.06 MPa. The addition of TiO₂ nanoparticles increased peak pressure by up to 36% and raised the minimum pressure from –0.52 MPa to +0.50 MPa, indicating over 60% cavitation suppression. These improvements confirm enhanced film stability, greater load capacity, and close agreement between simulation and experiment. Furthermore, the TiO₂ nanolubricant reduced friction losses, minimized lubricant degradation, and supports the development of energy-efficient and sustainable tribological systems.
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
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