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Multi-objective optimisation of hydrodynamic journal bearings for wind turbine gearboxes: a CFD-FEM coupled framework for enhanced performance, durability and sustainability
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DOI：10.1007/s10098-026-03550-4.png)
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Abstract
En 中文
The continued growth of wind turbine size has intensified the technical demands placed on mechanical drivetrains, making the design of reliable and efficient bearing systems a central challenge for multi‑megawatt installations. Hydrodynamic journal bearings have been increasingly reconsidered for selected high-speed gearbox positions, particularly where rolling bearings experience degradation under variable loading, misalignment and thermally induced stresses. Their behaviour in these environments is governed by strongly coupled interactions between pressure generation, lubricant flow and structural deformation, which require modelling strategies capable of resolving elastohydrodynamic effects with high fidelity. This study introduces a computational framework that combines bidirectional CFD–FEM coupling with a systematic multi‑objective optimisation strategy to evaluate hydrodynamic journal bearings under representative wind turbine operating conditions. The influence of the bearing length‑to‑diameter ratio, radial clearance and rotational speed is assessed with respect to two competing objectives: minimising maximum hydrodynamic pressure and maximising load‑carrying capacity. One hundred fully converged simulations are conducted to construct the Pareto front, revealing nonlinear sensitivities and design trade‑offs that are not captured by conventional parametric approaches. The results indicate that the combined effect of increasing the L/D ratio and reducing radial clearance promotes a wider axial distribution of hydrodynamic pressure, reducing peak stress concentrations while improving load support. This behaviour reflects the nonlinear coupling between fluid film development and structural response, highlighting the importance of fluid–structure interaction effects in bearing design under realistic operating conditions. Model credibility is reinforced through mesh‑independence studies, convergence analyses and benchmarking against experimentally supported studies on misaligned and planetary journal bearings, whose characteristic pressure and film‑thickness trends are reproduced by the present framework. Although the analysis is based on isothermal Newtonian lubrication and quasi‑steady assumptions, these conditions are consistent with the operating regime considered. By combining high‑fidelity numerical modelling with multi‑objective optimisation, the proposed framework provides a robust basis for identifying well‑balanced bearing configurations and contributes to the design of more reliable and efficient wind turbine drivetrains.
Keywords:
Hydrodynamic journal bearings
Wind turbine gearboxes
Computational fluid dynamics (CFD)
Finite element method (FEM)
Multi-objective optimisation
Renewable energy
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