Load Capacity and Stiffness Considerations for Hydrostatic Journal Bearings

Abstract

A theoretical solution, using finite element method, to predict performance characteristics of a capillary compensated hydrostatic oil journal bearing has been presented. Load capacity curves for two load directions of a typical bearing with four pockets are given for various design parameters and eccentricity ratios, and the four fluid film stiffness coefficients are computed. The effect of the feeding system on bearing load capacity and stiffness is discussed. Without using the flow approximations of Raimondi and Boyd [1] and Kher and Cowley [2], which are essentially valid for small eccentricity ratios and small circumferential land widths, the bearing flow has been computed both as the sum of nodal flows on the external boundary and as the inflow to the pockets.