Recent Patents on Abnormal Hydrodynamic Thrust Slider Bearings: Part I-First Mode of the Bearings

Background: By conventional lubrication technologies, hydrodynamic thrust slider bearings can not be formed by two solid surfaces sliding against one another with divergent surface separations. The paper introduces the first mode of abnormal hydrodynamic thrust slider bearings with divergent surface separations registered in the patents by using the boundary slippage technology. Objective: To introduce the boundary slippage technology for developing a new type of hydrodynamic thrust slider bearings with divergent surface separations. Methods: The lubrication theories are developed for the mentioned bearings based on the boundary slippage effect. The carried loads and friction coefficients of the bearings are calculated. The performances of the bearings are shown. Results: The calculations show that by designing the boundary slippage on the stationary contact surface in the bearing inlet zones, significant load-carrying capacities of the bearings can be generated, but the friction coefficients of the bearings are quite low on the scales 10-3 or 10-4. There are the optimal geometrical shapes of the bearings for the maximum load-carrying capacity. Conclusion: By artificially designing the boundary slippage on the stationary contact surfaces in the bearing inlet zones, the abnormal hydrodynamic thrust slider bearings with divergent surface separations can be developed with significant load-carrying capacities and low friction coefficients. The design of the bearings can be optimized. The mentioned bearings are energy-conserved and can be applied in specific operating conditions.