The Finite Sector Thrust Gas Lubricated Step Bearing

Abstract

The principal object of this paper is to demonstrate the effect of compressibility of lubricant gas on the performance of a particular type of sector step bearing when the lubricant undergoes an isothermal process. It is noticed that for small film thickness, deviation from the continuous medium such as the slip flow phenomenon may take place irrespective of the absolute magnitude of the flow density. When the Knudsen number, which is a measure of this phenomenon, is small the flow may still be treated macroscopically. By assuming a liquid having the same viscosity coefficient, the performance of the bearing for an incompressible lubricant is also evaluated and compared with that for a compressible lubricant over a range of the important physical parameters. This work was supported by the Office of Ordnance Research, U. S. Army. Contributed by the ASLE Technical Committee on Bearings and Bearing Lubrication and presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Society of Lubrication Engineers held in Philad...