Stability characteristics of lubricating film in mill oil-film bearings

Purpose The stability characteristics of an oil film directly influence the safety and service life of mill oil-film bearings. However, very limited work has been done to address the stability characteristics of mill oil-film bearings. To this end, this paper aims to investigate the stability characteristics of mill oil-film bearings through theoretical and experimental analysis. Design/methodology/approach For the first time, a special designed experiment platform was developed to investigate the stability characteristics of mill oil-film bearings. In addition, a theoretical model of lubricating film of the tested bearings was established to analyze the oil-film stability. The theoretical results were compared with the experimental results. Findings The comparison results demonstrate that the critical influential factors on the bearing stability were the eccentricity ratio and the ratio of bearing length to diameter. The mill bearing was likely to be unstable under a small load and at a high rotational speed. Practical implications The paper includes implications for suitable operation conditions in practical use of mill oil-film bearings. Originality/value This paper fulfills an identified need to investigate oil-film stability of mill bearings for practical applications.