Performance characteristics of finite porous slider bearings: Brinkman model

On the basis of the Brinkman model (BM), the present paper is mainly concerned with the viscous shear effects on the performance characteristics of finite porous slider bearings. The modified Reynolds equation is obtained by using the Brinkman equations to account for the effects of viscous shearing stresses. The film pressure is evaluated by a finite difference technique employing the Conjugate Gradient method of iteration, and applied to calculate the bearing performance. According to the results, the BM predicts quite different characteristics to those derived using either the slip-flow model or Darcy model. In particular, a higher load-carrying capacity and a lower friction parameter are predicted using the BM for porous slider bearings with with low permeability parameters and/or large width–length ratios. For engineering applications, a design example is also illustrated.