Study on splash oil supply and lubrication characteristics of conrod small end bearing with C-shaped oil collection structure

This study addresses lubrication and cooling challenges in high power-density diesel engine small end bearings under splash lubrication. A novel C-shaped structure is proposed to enhance oil supply efficiency. Using smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) and mixed lubrication models, simulations reveal that the C-shaped design improves oil collection efficiency, increasing oil inlet rates from 0.015 L/min and 0.021 L/min to 3.668 L/min and 0.862 L/min. The structure reduces peak oil film pressure, improves oil film state, and decreases poor lubrication by 18.3 %. Additionally, it ensures adequate oil supply, reducing oil film temperature and increasing the peak heat dissipation rate from 7.2 kW to 15.3 kW. These findings provide critical insights for designing reliable bearings and improving lubrication and cooling performance.