A study on the influences of journal axial vibration on ship shaft stern bearing dynamic characteristics

Purpose This paper aim to take the ship shaft stern bearing as the research object, and studies the influence of journal axial vibration on bearing dynamic characteristics under different misaligned angles and rotation speeds. Design/methodology/approach Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and harmonic excitation method were used to build bearing unstable lubrication model, and the dynamic mesh technology was used in calculation. Findings The results indicate that journal axial vibration has a significant effect on bearing dynamic characteristics, like maximum oil film pressure, bearing stiffness and damping coefficients, and the effect is positively correlated with journal misaligned angle. The effect of shaft rotation speed and journal axial vibration on bearing dynamics characteristics are independent; they have no coupling. Bearing axial stiffness is mainly affected by the journal axial displacement, bearing axial damping is mainly affected by journal axial velocity and they are positively correlated with the misaligned angle. The influence of rotational speed on bearing axial stiffness and axial damping is not obvious. Originality/value This paper establishes the bearing dynamic model by CFD and harmonic excitation method with consideration of cavitation effect and analyzing the influence of journal axial vibration on the dynamic characteristics. The results are benefit to the design of ship propulsion shaft and the selection of stern bearing. Also, they are of great significance to improve the operation stability of the shaft bearing system and the vitality of the ship. Peer review The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/ILT-11-2022-0337/