An experimental and theoretical investigation of pressures in four-lobe bearings

Abstract

A four-lobe bearing 25.4 mm in diameter was tested with the load vector “on pad” and “off pad”. Static pressures were measured on the center line of the bearing and these experimental data are compared with two sets of theoretical results. The half-Sommerfeld and Reynolds boundary conditions were each used in the theoretical predictions. Of particular significance is the fact that the experimental data correlate best with the half-Sommerfeld solution. Differences between the data and the theoretical solution of the order of 10–35% and 15–100% are realized for the half-Sommerfeld and Reynolds boundary conditions respectively. Moreover, the trends of pressure versus rotational speed for the experimental data and the theoretical solution are the same for the half-Sommerfeld condition but sometimes differ for the Reynolds condition.