Reynolds boundary condition realization in journal bearings: Location of oil film rupture boundary with layering-sliding mesh method

A layering-sliding mesh method was developed to realize Reynolds boundary condition in three-dimensional Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) analysis of journal bearings. Hybrid dynamic mesh method and pseudo transient analysis were employed to locate the oil film rupture boundary. A numerical model of a full circular journal bearing was established to obtain the steady-state full-Sommerfeld solution. Using the solution as the initial condition, a pseudo transient analysis was performed. The axial boundary of maximum film thickness in the negative pressure region was specified as moving boundary. A dynamic layering method was employed to degenerate the mesh of the divergent clearance region along circumference, and a sliding mesh method was employed to locate the curvature of the moving boundary. The oil film rupture boundary was precisely captured through the criterion of local Reynolds boundary condition. The resulting oil film pressure was validated by comparison with the results of Reynolds equation and published works. The proposed method realized the Reynolds boundary condition in the Navier–Stokes approach. It is an alternative to other cavitation models. •A layering-sliding mesh method was developed to realize Reynolds boundary condition.•The curved oil film rupture boundary was captured through the mesh degeneration.•The proposed method is an alternative to other cavitation models in bearing CFD analysis.