The Characteristics of a Statically Loaded Journal Bearing with Superlaminar Flow

Experimental results are presented, relating to the friction factor, load capacity and attitude angle, for a plain, cylindrical journal bearing with a central, circumferential inlet groove. The length to diameter ratio of the journal bearing was 1/3 and the clearance ratio was 0.011. By the use of various lubricants, including water, Reynolds numbers ranging from 40 to 50 000 were attained. Comparisons with various theoretical predictions are given. It is shown that a simple, empirical theory, which incorporates measured friction factors, gives better agreement with the experimental load capacity results than previous theories.