WEAR

THERMAL ASPECTS OF BEARING SEIZURE

R. A. BURTON
Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, Texas (U.S.A.)
(Received September 16th, 1964)

SUMMARY

The effect of internal friction upon thermal expansion in journal bearings is

examined. Account is taken-of external and internal cooling as well as the effect of
expansion itself in altering the frictional heating process. There are two distinct types
of interaction. One leads monotonically to a minimum film thickness, or an ultimate
seizure with no satisfactory long-term operation. The other may pass transiently
through a minimal film thickness upon stepwise alteration of operating conditions.
This can at times give acceptable long-term operating conditions but may also be
unstable to small disturbances in bearing operation and lead to seizure. Simplified
analyses are used to determine the principal interrelationships of parameters govern-
ing the two types of behavior.

LIST OF SYMBOLS

C = initial bearing clearance,

C = damping coefficient in mechanical analog of bearing-expansion behavior,
CP = specific heat of shaft and housing material,
Izt = effective heat transfer coefficient at housing interior,
h, = effective heat transfer coefficient at housing exterior,
k = thermal conductivity of shaft and housing material,
k = spring rate in mechanical analog of bearing-expansion behavior,
K = coefficient depending in magnitude upon cylinder length/diameter ratio in
thermal expansion equation,
m = mass in mechanical analog of bearing expansion behavior,
4 = heat flow per unit of wetted surface area of the bearing interior,
yi = interior radius of bearing housing (also general term for interior radius of any
hollow cylinder in thermal expansion equation),
78 = exterior radius of shaft, approximately equal to r(,
r.3 = exterior radius of bearing housing (also general term for exterior radius of any
hollow cylinder in thermal expansion equation,
T = temperature,
dl = coefficient of linear expansion,

Wear, 8 (1965) 157-172

Ij8

b = encroachment of bearing and shaft surfaces on clearance, i.e., clearance reduc-

tion due to relative thermal expansion,
s, = encroachment based upon heat rate pV2/ha, where h, is initial value of h before
thermal expansion takes effect,
Bb = encroachment based upon heat rate ,uVs/hb, where ho is determined by thermal
expansion effect,
li = construction which accounts for cooling of interior of bearing housing,
lo = construction which accounts for cooling of exterior of bearing housing,
Poissons ratio,
;:
see Fig. 6 for defining equation,
w = see Fig. 7 for defining equation,
yco = value of v for ro/rc -+ co.

INTRODUCTION

The temperature distribution in a bearing and its surrounding structures can

significantly affect the bearing clearance, and at times can lead to gross seizure. Of
particular interest are those distributions which result from internal frictional heating
in the bearing itself, these being complicated by self-activation through the influence
of dimensional changes upon the frictional energy dissipation. Because the processes
are relatively complex, even in simple geometries, quantitative means for taking
account of them have largely been lacking. The work reported here has been under-
taken as a step toward filling this need.
In the discussion which follows, the overall problem is divided into component
problems of varying complexity to aid in visualization. It is also dealt with in terms
of representative cases (classified as to how the bearing is cooled), for which approxi-
mate numerical solutions are provided. On the basis of these results, some guiding
equations are offered, which should be of use in bearing design calculations.

THERMAL EXPANSION EQUATIONS

Let us, at this point, restrict the problem to that of a cylindrical journal turn-
ing in a cylindrical bore concentrically placed in a cylindrical housing with the clear-
ance around the journal much smaller than the other pertinent dimensions. For such
geometries and for axially-symmetrical temperature distributions, thermal expansion
can be expressed according to the following equations

Here, Yis the coordinate of radial position, OLis the coefficient of linear expansion, T is
the local temperature in the body (measured from some uniform-temperature rest
state), r, is the outside dimension of the cylinder and ~4 is the inside dimension of the

W.%W,8 (1965) 157-172

THERMAL ASPECTS OF BEARING SEIZURE 159

cylinder (if it is hollow). Figure I illustrates this nomenclature applied to a bearing

housing, also showing the film thickness il. The coefficient K depends upon the length
of the cylinder, having the value (I + Y) for the limiting case of a very long tube,
and the value of unity for the short-cylinder limiting case or a thin circular plate. Since

Fig. I. Illustration of nomenclature.

Poissons ratio Y is around 0.3 for typical metals, the numerical difference between
the two extreme cases is not great. For simplicity, however, the short-cylinder limit-
ing value of K = I will be used in the calculations to be discussed here, with the
additional justification that many bearing housings in practice tend to resemble the
short cylinder more nearly than the extremely long one.
In the derivations which follow, it will also be assumed that thermal conductiv-
ity and coefficient of thermal expansion are constant, and do not differ for the shaft
and bearing-housing materials.

TEMPERATURE VARIATION

For any given temperature distribution, the expansion of the interior of a

bearing-housing may be computed using eqn. (I), and the expansion of the exterior of
a shaft using eqn. (2). The difference between these two expansions would represent
the change of bearing clearance. This, in turn, would lead to a change in energy dis-
sipation in the film. If one wishes to find the temperature distribution so as to evaluate
the terms in eqn. (I), it first appears necessary to solve, as a unit, the entire problem of
transient behavior of the bearing-shaft system. As will be shown, however, it is pos-
sible to break the problem into parts, and to exploit the linearity of the heat transfer
and expansion equations to permit the eventual assembly of the complete solution.
For the first portion of the analysis, we shall deal with the simple case of a
steady and constant rate of heat input from the bearing clearance to the shaft and
housing, neglecting any feedback effects which would change this. This condition is
not an unrealistic one since it might be applied directly to dry-lubricated bearings
where load and friction coefficient serve to determine the rate of heating, independent
of clearance, at least until the clearance disappears entirely. It is also representative
of the heavily-loaded, hydrodynamically-lubricated bearing where eccentricity is

Wear, 8 (1965) 157-172

 It. A. BUKT0N

i 0 (rot A+)
RADIAL DISTANCE. r

z. Temperature distributions in a bearing housing with external cooling only.

RADIAL DISTANCE, r

Fig. 3. Temperature distributions in a bearing housing with internal cooling only.

7
/
- x0 -
/
k
/
\
/
/

L
0 (rot : 1
RADIAL DISTANCE, I

Fig. 4. Temperature distributions in a bearing housing with both internal and external cooling.

WfXW, 8 (1965) 157-172

THERMALASPECTSOF BEARINGSEIZURE 161

great, and viscous dissipation around the bearing is small compared with that in the
heavily-loaded zone. In such a case dissipation would not be greatly changed by small
initial changes in overall clearance. Of course, when the clearance change becomes
very great, this independence of effects will disappear, and self-activation will take
over. Of course, the assymetry of these cases is not accounted for.
In terms of the step-function heat input rate stated above, several classes of
interaction may take place, depending upon how the system is cooled. Figures z,3 and
4 illustrate three such classes, showing successive temperature distributions in cylin-
drical bearings. The differences in behavior for these cases are sufficiently great to
make it desirable to discuss each separately and in some detail in the next few para-
graphs.

Externally-cooled cylinder
In Fig. 2 three successive temperature distributions in a bearing housing are
shown schematically. Each curve serves as the lower boundary of a shaded area, with
these areas denoted successively as Al, AZ, and As (special significance of these areas
will be taken up in later discussion). The symbol r( signifies the internal radius of the
cylindrical body, and r, signifies the external radius. If there is no interior cooling and
heat input is held constant, the heat supplied at the interior surface must pass into
the body, and the interior temperature gradient @T/37)$ must remain constant with
passage of time. Thus, the slope of each of the successive curves is the same at the
radius r(.
To account for heat transfer from the exterior surface, a construction has been
made, by designating a constant temperature point a distance 1, from the surface
(where il, = k/h,). This distance would represent the thickness of housing material
that would have the same thermal resistance as the air film. Temperature variation
across this artificial barrier is linear since there is no equivalent storage effect in
this film. With this construction, and with the initial slope known, the boundary
conditions of the temperature distribution are sufficiently specified.
Let us now examine the changes that take place between the three successive
curves, starting with that which forms the lower boundary of the area AL Heat input
initially raises the temperature of the inner surface with little transferred effect to the
outer surface. As this process continues, the inner temperature rises along with the
extent of penetration, until the heating effect is ultimately felt significantly at the
outer surface. The first curve of the sequence represents the condition where the
penetration is only partially complete. The second curve (below the area Aa) represents
the condition where temperature is still rising, but the distribution is affected by
conditions on both surfaces. The curve below Aa represents a steady state condition
where heat inflow equals outflow. The small difference between the slopes (~T/JY)~
and (3T/3& is occasioned by the fact that the surface area through which heat must
travel is greater at the outer radius; therefore a smaller gradient is required at r,.

Internally-cooled cylisder
Figure 3 illustrates a comparable sequence of temperature variations for a
bearing-housing heated internally, with an insulated exterior, and with an internal
source of cooling. For example, this might represent the case of a bearing where heat
is generated in the lubricant oil, and where this heat is also removed by the net flux

W&Z+, 8 (1965) 157-172

162 Ii.A. HURT05

of oil through the bearing. It might also represent a bearing with a cooled shaft. In the
specified case, the housing will heat up to some limiting temperature, whereupon all
of the heat generated will ultimately be carried away by the internal cooling effect.
This limiting temperature is sometimes called the stabilizing temperature.
To illustrate the effect of the stated type of internal cooling, a construction
such as is shown in Fig. 3 may be made, where an auxiliary point is located at a tem-
perature corresponding to the stabilizing temperature, and where a radial distance
11 is chosen so as to make the initial slope, (U/>r)i, correspond to that which would
prevail if all of the frictional heat were initially being transferred into the housing
with none initially being transferred to the cooling medium. Note that for this case
of insulated exterior, the slope at the outer radius, (AT/;)& is zero, because no heat is
to be transferred through the outer surface.

Internal as well as external cooling

Figure 4 shows the combined case of both internal and external cooling, where
the two previous constructions are combined to take account of the changing heat
transfer rates for the inner and outer surfaces. For this construction, the limiting (or
stabilizing) condition is shown as a straight line temperature variation. In actuality,
the outer slope would be slightly less than the inner slope, as in Fig. 2. This difference
would tend to be small for thin bearing shells, and the straight line shown may be
thought of as a limiting condition representing an overall temperature drop which
the actual stabilized temperature drop would never exceed.

RELATIVE THERMAL EXPANSION OF A THIN WALLED SHAFT UNDER DIFFERENT

OPERATING CONDITIONS

In the above examples of heat transfer, it was possible to draw approximate

temperature distributions, and these (if numerically evaluated) should combine with
eqn. (I) to give thermal expansions. When one considers the case of a thin walled
shaft, for example, it is possible to assume that its temperature throughout corres-
ponds to the temperature of the inner surface of the bearing-housing. This assumption
neglects the temperature drop across the lubricant film which will be taken up later.
It is nevertheless useful for comparison purposes.
When the bearing-housing is also at constant temperature throughout, its
expansion (like that of the shaft) is determined only by the coefficient of expansion
and the temperature. Thus, when a bearing and shaft system is raised to a uniform
elevated temperature, the only change in film thickness (clearance) would be given by
the product of the expansion coefficient and the original clearance. It would thus
represent only a small fractional change in the clearance itself and could be considered
to be a negligible effect. The clearance ratio, c/r, however, will remain constant. Other
factors, which will be examined further, will be shown to give rise to much more
significant changes in clearance.
If a bearing-housing is subject to a temperature distribution such that the
average temperature is lower than the internal temperature, we may speak of a tem-
perature defect to describe the reduction of temperature below the inner surface
temperature. With such a temperature defect, there will also be an expansion defect.
The shaded areas in Figs. 2,3, and 4 represent this temperature defect. Equations (I)

Wear, 8 (1965) 157-17

THERMAL ASPECTS OF BEARING SEIZURE 163

and (2) require that the first moment of such areas (suitably scaled, and taken about
the centerline of the cylinder) determine the deficiency in radial expansion.
The interpretation of the expansion deficiency is simple when the shaft is taken
as having, throughout, the inner temperature of the housing, for example. Under this
condition, the shaft wilPexpand fully, but the housing will not. The deficiency in
housing expansion will have the same effect on the clearance as would a relative
contraction. Thus, the expansion deficiency of the housing may be taken as a direct
reduction in clearance. In further discussion, the magnitude of the clearance change
due to such a relative expansion will be spoken of as the encroachment of the
surfaces on the clearance space.

i
TIME

(b) (cl
Fig. 5. Variation of relative expansion (encroachment) for a bearing housing and a thin-walled
shaft for: (a) external cooling only; (b) internal cooling only; and (c) both external and internal
cooling.

Referring to Figs. I, 2,3, and 4, it is possible to make some general conclusions

as to how this encroachment (or relative expansion) may vary for the three classes of
bearing cooling. As an aid to discussion, the general characteristics of the variation
are illustrated in Fig. 5. Taking these individually:
(a) Externally-cooled hoz.&ng. The shaded area above the temperature curve
(Fig. 2) is seen to enlarge as the temperature rises, and to reach a maximum at the
limiting condition of stablization. In Fig. 5(a), this type of variation is illustrated,
showing a smoothly-rising function which tends to level off at an asymptotic value.
(b) Internally-cooled hotising. The shaded area tends to diminish in size as the
temperature distribution approaches stabilization (Fig. 3). It is largest when the heat-
ing has just begun to affect the outer wall noticeably (see Al). The variation of
encroachment which would accompany such an area variation is illustrated in Fig. 5(b),
where it is shown to rise rapidly to a maximum and then drop off toward zero.
(c) Combined internal and external cooling. This falls between the previous two
cases, with the encroachment passing through a maximum and then dropping back to
some limiting value which is greater than zero (see Figs. 4 and s(c)). As limiting cases,
of course, the solution takes on the form of the preceding two cases which represent
opposite extremes.

W&W,8 (1965) 157-172

 The most important observation from these examples is that, for external
cooling alone, there is a steady state relative expansion (or encroachment), whereas
for internal cooling the maximum relative expansion is passed through transiently.
If the shaft turns with a given rate of frictional dissipation and if the rate of
dissipation is then suddenly increased by a fixed and steady amount, the external-
ly-cooled bearing responds to the two steps additively, while the internally-cooled
bearing responds to the two steps almost independently, provided the second step
occurs after the effect of the initial one has diminished to a small value. Under
corresponding conditions, the externally-cooled bearing would be expected to seize at
some given rate of heat dissipation, irrespective of how carefully this is applied. The
internally-cooled bearing could operate at any given rate of heat dissipation, provided
it is applied in small enough increments (i.e., slowly enough). Such a bearing would be
sensitive only to the magnitude of step heat-changes. It is interesting also that the
internal coolant need not be cool in the conventional sense. In the internally-
cooled case, the overall temperature of the bearing will rise until the coolant
begins to function as such, irrespective of its temperature of admission.

ESTIMATION OF MAXIMUM ENCROACHMENT

Workable approximate expressions can be obtained for the ma~mum of 6 to

be encountered in the three expansion situations discussed in the preceding section.
For the case of very little internal cooling along with significant external cooling, the
limiting condition would be that of stabilization with a maximum value of 6 after a
long operating time. Under this condition, the shaft would have arrived at the tem-
perature of the inner bearing surface (neglecting the temperature drop across the
film) ; and the temperature drop across the housing would be almost linear. Indeed, if
one assumes the housing temperature distribution to be linear (and that the shaft

O1lJ 1.2 14
HOUSING
1.6
TMICKNESS
I.8
RATIO, 6/r,
2 2.2

Fig. 6. Effect of housing thickness on encroachment for external cooling only.

Wew, 8 (rg65) 157-172

THERMAL ASPECTS OF BEARING SEIZURE 165

shares the inner housing temperature), it is possible to write a very simple expression
for the encroachment, this being represented graphically in Fig. 6. Here an encroach-
ment factor q5has been designated (as defined in Fig. 6), and this has been plotted
against housing thickness ratio. From this graph, it is seen that the encroachment
factor does not vary greatly. For easy visualization as well as for design purposes, 4
might be given the magnitude of 0.6, and a simplified equation based on the definition
of 4, would be as follows

When internal cooling is insignificant, this reduces to the following, simpler expres-
sion, which is also on the safe side even when cooling is present :

t = @q(ro - rz)/k

When internal cooling is significant, encroachment is expected to pass through a peak

before levelling off to a lower value. The maximum encroachment can be estimated if
the temperature distribution is assumed. To accomplish this with a realistic distribu-
tionz, the profile was approximated by a parabolic arc, and the maximum of encroach-
ment was assumed to occur when the tip of this parabola just arrived at the outer
surface of the housing. In such a calculation, account must be taken of the effect of
temperature lags in the shaft, especially when the shaft is solid and the housing is thin.
This has been computed separately, and with similar assumptions, allowing for both
the temperature distribution in the shaft, and the effect of the heat diversion to this
sink in lowering the heat flow to to the housing. For this purpose, the temperature
was assumed to vary in a parabolic profile in the shaft as well as the housing, and the
curves were required to meet the following conditions :

0, bearing t

I 0
oarec,rTdr =
I 0
qdt (6)

(Tro) shaft = (Trt)bearing

For the two separate cases of thin-walled and solid shafts, an encroachment factor, v,
has been computed over a range of housing thicknesses, and the results are shown in
Fig. 7, along with a defining equation for 7y.For the limiting case of the thin-walled
shaft only, note that the factor w remains almost constant, near 0.75; otherwise it
must be evaluated from Fig. 7.
6
(9)
76

Wear, 8 (1965) 157-172

166

cl2

SOLID SHAFT

0 I
I 1.2 1.4 1.6 I.S 2
HOUSING THICKNESS RATIO ro/ r,

Fig. 7. Effect of housing thickness on encroachment for internal cooling only.

When conditions are such that cooling is negligible during the early stage at which
this maximum expansion would be reached, eqn. (9) would simplify to

6
-&
f nq(r, - Q/K
Yl

or

6
- L o.375aa(ro - rc)/k
rt
To write an equivalent equation for the case where there is a solid shaft in the bearing
is not so easy; however, the following form is suggested as a simplified statement of
the variation noted in Fig. 7.

s
ra
(11)
k

A broken line is shown in the figure to represent the values given by eqn. (II). Though
this departs from the computed variation, the difference is too small to justify a more
complicated approximate expression, especially when it is recognized that the comput-
ed variation is not strictly precise.
It is of interest that the above relation can be used even when there is also
some external cooling since the external temperature is relatively low when the en-
croachment maximum is reached. The external heat flow, therefore, would play a
negligible role in determining the magnitude of the encroachment.

Wear, 8 (1965) 157-172

THERMAL ASPECTS OF BEARING SEIZURE 167

EFFECT OF REGENERATIVE COUPLING BETWEEN EXPANSION AND FRICTIONAL

HEATING IN A SIMPLE FLUID-LUBRICATED JOURNAL BEARING

Mechanical analog
It is informative to represent the above three classes of bearing cooling in terms
of a mechanical analog. Though this will not be used in the actual calculations of the
nonlinear problem of bearing stability, it illustrates the nature of such instabilities in
familiar forms. Figure 8 shows the mechanical analog of the three classes of cooling as a

ail+ bq

Fig. 8. Mechanical analog of bearing expansion dynamics.

simple spring-mass-damper system. Note that the applied load involves both the heat
rate, q, and its derivative. For the externally-cooled case, only the term bqremains,
and, when a step change of heat rate is applied, the ultimate response of the system is
some limiting displacement of the spring to accommodate the load. For the intemally-
cooled system, the load is specified by the term acj, and the response to a step-function
change of heat rate would be the same as to an impulse aJ@lt, which corresponds
numerically to adq. Thus, the analog of the heat rate difference, dq, is the analog of
applied heat rate itself. Under such an impulse, the mass would displace and then
drift back to its initial rest position, and its motion would be analogous to the time
variation of encroachment.
Accepting that the analog represents the thermal behavior of the stated sys-
tems in a general way, it is of interest to write the differential equation of motion of
the analog
rns + ~8 + kc? = a4 + bq (I4
From this, it is possible to predict the behavior of the earlier-named classes of system
for different types of heat rate variations. Of more interest, however, is the question
of stability when the heat rate q is dependent upon the relative expansion 8. As a first
approximation we may take the linear case where q = NS + q. for which eqn. (2)
becomes
E& + (c - aN)d + (k -- bN)d = aq + bd (13)

Here the terms on the right now represent some initial or impressed loading, and the
feedback terms have been moved to the left side and combined with corresponding
terms. It is clear that the instabilities known as negative damping and negative

Wea+,8 (1965) 157-172

I68 R. A.RURTON

spring can arise under the respective conditions of aN > c and bN > k. One may
speculate on the varieties of pulsating response and instability which can occur under
different combinations of system parameters. In fact, this analog may be of some
value in describing behavior of some experimental systems, such as low-frequency
pulsating noises given out by ball bearings (for which the analog would also apply).
On the other hand, because of the nonlinear nature of the feedback in actual bearings,
it is better to apply a more direct analysis to obtain design criteria for typical bear-
ings.

Computed behavior of a bearing where frictional heating depends upon thermal expansion
Since the equations of thermal expansion and heat transfer are themselves
linear (for constant coefficients), it is possible to synthesize solutions for cases with
varying heat input, by drawing upon known solutions for constant heat input. For
example, if the variation of encroachment with time is known for a unit-magnitude,
step-function heat input, it is possible to write an integral equation as follows to gener-
ate solutions where q varies with time. Letting F(t) represent the encroachment func-
tion, the integral equation may be written as follows

d= j-1 [z] [F(t - t)]dt (14)

This gives the encroachment at any arbitrary time t. For computer purposes, this
may be written as a summation

& = $ [$I F (t, - t)dt

Thus, if the variation of q with t is known, the S, may be found at any time tn. Now
let q be a function of 6 such that q/qa = c,/(ca - 6) as would be representative of
Newtonian flow in the bearing clearance. (Note: here ta would be the time of initiation
of operation.)

dq qaCa d8
Z = (Ca - 8)2Z
(16)

To adapt this to a form suitable for the numerical equation eqn. (IS), let eqn. (16)
become

4 qaca dn-I- dn-2

(17)
dt - (ca - CL1)2 At

If the divisions of At are chosen small enough, this permits a satisfactory evaluation
of the summation in eqn. (IS) in which case

6, = 5 qaC (&-I - sn-2) wn - t) (18)

0 (c - &-1)2

Using this scheme in a digital computer, it was possible to obtain the response of
journal bearings for representative cases of the three combinations of cooling which
have been discussed. In these solutions, it was possible to relate the maximum

kteav, 8 (1965) 157-172

THERMAL ASPECTS OF BEARING SEIZURE 169

encroachment, &,, to that which would have prevailed if the heating rate had not
changed from qU (where + is the heat rate set by the initial bearing clearance). In
other words, if the formulae based upon constant heat rate qa were used to obtain an
estimate of encroachment, this value could be used with the supplemental calcula-
tions to obtain an estimate of the additional effect which might be attributed to in-
crementation of heat rate due to the changes of dimensions.
The three functions chosen for this investigation were computed for a housing
where 7,/7t = z and are very much like those in Fig. 4, except for the case of Fig. 4(c),
where the levelling off value was 0.756,~.

I-
, -
I-

EXTERNAL COOLING

8b/C 0.3

0.2

G
0.1
0.1

Fig. g. Encroachment activated by clearance change, &, as a function of nominal encroachment,

I&, based on initial clearance.

Figure 9 shows the computed results obtained for the stated conditions. Note
that the value of unity on either scale would imply that the encroachment was equal
to the initial bearing clearance, and thus would represent the condition of seizure.
Since the data are best presented on a semilogarithmic plot, a broken reference line
has been included, to represent the condition of no coupling effect, or where & = 6,
on either scale The earlier seizure is seen to occur at a nominal expansion of 0.25, for
the case of external cooling.
The other two cases represent almost identical transient failures where the
nominal expansion 6, (without coupling) would be 0.3. Since the results are in such
close agreement for such widely different encroachment functions, we have little
reluctance in assuming that small detail changes in the functions would not affect the
criterion of failure greatly. Thus, we may treat the failure criteria as universal and
may write tentative equations for the seizure of a simple journal bearing operating
with very small displacement.

Wear, 8 (1965) 157-172

170 R. :\. BURTUS

For the case of seizure due to long-term drift of S,, eqn. (3) may be combined
with the limiting value of S/c = 0.25, since this has been determined to be represen-
tative of such cases (see Fig. 5(a)). Writing this as an inequality, which specifies the
safe condition

(19)

qa = pve/c (20)
For the cases where a transient peak in temperature has dominant effect, the crite-
rion of failure would be S,/c > 0.3 (see Fig. 9). Thus, using eqn. (9), but leaving y to
be evaluated from Fig. 7,

0.3 3 Y/[&j + ;] (21)

Here qa would be determined by eqn. (20), as before.

Earlier we have offered further simplified versions for the equations of maxi-
mum encroachment, namely eqn. (4) and eqn. (IO). Because of their simplicity and
similarity, it is of interest to apply the criteria of failure under feedback conditions to
these.
For Class (a) behavior [see Fig. 5(a)]

For Classes (b) and (c) behavior (see Figs. 5(b) and 5(c))

0.3 > ;s ;(; - I) (r1201)

Here we see that the second two classes of behavior are roughly half as sensitive to
seizure as is the first. Furthermore, we see in a general way the roles of speed, con-
ductivity, clearance ratio, and housing thickness. Especially important in assessing
the generality of Fig. g is the fact that the calculation is not extremely sensitive to the
details of the temperature variation.

EFFECTS OF THE THERMAL RESISTANCE BETWEEN THE SHAFT AND BEARING

Except where liquid-metal lubricant is used, there is a significant thermal

resistance between the shaft and bearing. Fortunately, it is possible to estimate the
effects of this separately from the previous derivations, and to add the encroachment
so derived to the previously calculated value. For a fluid film lubricated bearing,
operating in concentricity with the housing, and for the case where all of the heat is
conducted out through the housing, it is possible to write

&ii, = ariATim (24)

If it is assumed that this average heat-flow path for frictional heating is c/2

AT = qclzk = ,uV2/2k (25)

Wear, 8 (1965) 157-172

THERMAL ASPECTS OF BEARING SEIZURE 171

This is a safe approximation for the thin-walled shaft operating in an internally-cooled

bearing, and is truly accurate when zk/ht(r, - r) 4 I. For the bearing with a solid
shaft, the film temperature drop has been calculated to reduce to zero when r, A 1.4rt;
thus it varies much like y. A suggested design equation would result from ignoring the
small difference between the variation of this and y, writing

(26)

where yoois the value of y for r&r + co, and is about 0.8.

ESTIMATION OF HEAT TRANSFER COEFFICIENTS

Computation of the external heat transfer coefficient is desirable, since this enters
several of the principal equations; however, this is a difficult parameter to estimate.
For the externally-cooled case, a safe estimate of encroachment would result from the
assumption of infinite external heat transfer coefficient, thus making the temperature
of the exterior of the housing correspond to ambient, as in eqn. (4). An improved esti-
mate might result from equations for heat transfer around cylinders?. Short of this, it
has been observed in specific cases that the fihn may be dealt with as the resistance
equivalent of 8-10 inches of steel (not allowing for thermal storage effects of such
steel, however). Often, circumstances of the installation prohibit a more accurate
analysis, and such a rough estimate would show the general order of magnitude of the
effects of the external resistance.
As to the internal heat transfer coefficient, it should be noted that this is not
a heat transfer coefficient in the usual sense, but an artifice to account for all sources
of internal heat removal, in convenient form. If, for example, the lubricant acquires
the temperature of the housing interior, then the heat transferred to the lubricant is

q = Gm(Tt - Tw) (27)

where C, is lubricant specific heat, m is mass flow per unit of wetted surface area of
the bearing, Tt is the housing interior temperature, and Tt, is lubricant inlet tempera-
ture. By definition, the heat transfer coefficient would be
hi = C,m (28)
In reality, hi would probably be smaller than this, if all of the internal cooling were
from the lubricant alone. It could be greater, however, if significant cooling were
provided by conduction along the shaft.

CONCLUSIONS

The thermal expansion phenomena which lead to clearance changes may be

dealt with separately in terms of whether or not encroachment (of the surfaces into

W&W,8 (1965) 157-172

172 R. A. BURTON

the film) drifts to a steady state value or passes through a transient maximum. Esti-
mates of the limit of operation without seizure can be made with varying degrees of
simplicity, accuracy being attained at the cost of added complexity. For example,
eqns. (4) and (IO) can be adapted to accommodate the effect of thermal resistance of
thefilm (eqn. (zs)), and the effect of frictional heating (eqn. (20))

(29)

$1
LXjJV% y(r0 - rt)
0.3 > -
kc [ 2c +

The former applies when internal cooling is negligible and external cooling provides
the only path for removal of frictionally produced heat. The latter applies when the
exterior of the bearing is insulated and heat is removed primarily by the lubricant, or
when the conduction down the shaft provides the source of cooling. Closer estimates
would require returning to eqns. (3) and (9), and producing the more complex equi-
valents of eqns. (29) and (30). This would also require knowledge of the film coefficients
hi and h,, which the simpler equations avoid.
Of special interest is the condition of dynamic instability where aN > c in
eqn. (13). Since the heating effect is nonlinear, aN may be thought of as becoming
larger as the encroachment increases. Thus, a bearing stable to small changes of
internal heating would become unstable for larger changes. Up to a point, it would be
possible to assure operation, by bringing the bearing up to operating conditions slowly
and never letting the rate of change of operating conditions become sufficiently large
to trigger seizure. Since the seizure criteria as shown in Fig. 9 are based upon instanta-
neous startup, they are conservative. However, when one notes how rapidly &,/da is
increasing toward the right of the figure, it is clear that near to the point where
&,/c = I, a very small disturbance will trigger seizure.

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

This work was supported in its entirety by Southwest Research Institute, as

part of a study of the dynamics of gas-film-lubricated bearings. The programming of
those portions of the work involving the Institutes computer was done by Mr. T. R.
JACKSON.

REFERENCES

I E. WHALEY, The design of pressure vessels subject to thermal stress, Can. J. Tedm~l., 34 (5)
(1956) 268-303.
2 R. A. BURTON, Equations for estimating laminar boundary layers effects, J. Awon. .%.,,~9 (8)
(1952).
3 W. H. MCADAMS, Heat Transmission, 3rd. edn., McGraw-Hill Book Co., Inc., New York, 1954,
p. 176.

WtXZr, 8 (1965) 157-172