Gas-Lubricated Cylindrical Journal Bearings of the Finite Length: Static Loading

Abstract

This paper presents numerical solutions of the Reynolds equation for finite length, gas-lubricated cylindrical journal bearings under static loading (this corresponds to a load of constant magnitude and direction with respect to the bearing). It is shown that the incompressible results are but only limiting cases to the more general compressible solutions. The results of the two solutions are dovetailed together through the use of two dimensionless parameters: the inverse of the Sommerfeld number and the compressibility number. Comparisons of the iterative solutions and the first-order perturbation and the “linearized ph” methods are made. The advantages and disadvantages of these methods of analysis are discussed.