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The Externally Pressurized, Porous Wall, Gas-

Lubricated Journal Bearing.
a b
H. J. Sneck & K. T. Yen
a
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute , Troy, New York
b
Aerodynamics Research, General Electric Company , Valley Forge, Pennsylvania
Published online: 25 Mar 2008.

To cite this article: H. J. Sneck & K. T. Yen (1964) The Externally Pressurized, Porous Wall, Gas-Lubricated Journal
Bearing., A S L E Transactions, 7:3, 288-298, DOI: 10.1080/05698196408972058

To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/05698196408972058

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 ASLE T RANSAC TIO NS 7 , 288 -2 98 (1 964 )

The Externally Pressurized, Porous Wall, Gas-Lubricated

Journal Bearing. I. l
By H. J. SNECK 2 and K. T . YEN3

Th e exte rnally pressurized, gas-lubricated journal bearing consisting of a_porous bushing, throu gh
which gas enters th e clearance space, is analy zed. Th e classical R eyn olds' equation for lami nar,
isoth ermal, com pressible flow in a finite journal bearing is m odified to allow for th e local mass
flow t hrough th e porous bushing into the clearance space due to the difference betw een the con-
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stant supply pressure and th e pressure within the bearing. At low mass flow rates, it is assum ed
tha t th e flow in the porou s bushin g obeys th e Darcy equation for isoth ermal, com pressible
"cree ping flow ." Th e analy sis is exten ded to include bearings wit h higher flow rates by a sim ple
modification of th e Darcy equation.
Th e modified R eynolds' equation is solved for the case w here th e shaf t does not rotate by
perturbing th e mass flow rat e through th e bearing using the eccent ricity ratio as a small parameter.
An asympt otic solution for th e " short bearing" and th e "maximum load-carrying capacity" is
determin ed independent of th e pertu rbati on techniqu e. Th e results of th e perturbation techniqu e
are com pared numerically wit h th e results of the asymptotic solution, and t hey are found to be in
agreement .

Nomenclature l = L I2 = half length of the bushing

..1 00 , B oo, . . . = Consta nts used in the perturbation
= Bushing length
L
L I , L2 L; = D riving functions for perturbation
• • •
solution for the case of no shaft
solutions, Poo, Pal, . . . , Pan
rotation (). = 0)
D = Diameter of the shaft
M =
Total mass flow rate through the
bearing when the shaft is in place
e = Shaft-bearing eccentricity
! l()i), f3(Y),· · ·,
iV/max =
Total mass flow rate through the
bushing when the shaft is removed
!n(Y) = Integrands used to determine the
P = Absolute gas pressure
load coefficient (A =
0)
PII = Ambient absolute gas pressure
Fs, F;l, ... , F; = llfl (Y)rfY, l lh (Y )rfY, .. . P. = Supply gas absolute pressure
a 0 p = (pl p. )2 _ (J
l lfn (Y)dY
=
Poo, POl> ... Pan Coefficients of the eccentricity ratio
in the perturbation solution
(j. = 0 )
h = Gas-film thickne ss function Pa= (PaIP. )2 -
e = Rad ial clear ance between shaft and (J

bushin g R = shaft radius

Ii = hi e = 1 +E cos () = Dimen sionless
"R. = Perfect gas constant
gas film thickness T, = Absolute temperature of the sup-
ply gas
K" = Flow constant for porous bushing
w = Radial component of the gas
velocity in the gas film
Co ntr ibuted by th e ASLE T echnic al Com mittee on Bearin gs x =Circumferential coordinate meas-
a nd Bearing Lubri cati on a nd present ed a t t he Annual M eetin g of ured from the maximum film thick-
the Amer ica n Socie ty of Lubricati on En gineers held in Chicago, ness in the direction of the shaft
Illin ois, M ay, 1964. rotati on
I Th e work described herein is fro m a th esis sub mitte d in
y = Axial coordinate measured from the
part ial fulfillment of th e requirements for the degree of Doct or of
Phil osophy in M echani cal En gineerin g, Rensselaer Polyt echni c
center plane of th e bearin g
Institute ; T roy , New Yo rk; June, 1963. Y= .vl l
2 Assista nt P rofessor , Rensselaer P olyt echn ic In stitute, T roy, Y ll , Y 22 ,

New York. . . . Y nm = Functions describing the axial pres-

3 Specialist, Aerody na mics Resear ch, Genera l Electri c Company, sure distribution in the perturbation
Valley F orge, P enns ylv ania . solution (A = 0)
288
 A Pressurized, Gas-Lubricated Journal Bearing Analyzed 289

cosh (l /R) (A u + n ) 'hy 2

concentrated in the neighborhood of a few feeding
Yon = --:--c-:-::-.,.---:-:-----=-:-
cosh (l/R) (Au + n ) 'h 2 orifices, and results in better utilization of the pressurized
Yon' = (l/R) (A u + n ) 'h 2 gas. On the other hand , the externally pressurized bearing
sinh (I /R)(A + n ) 'hy ]
u
2 increases the load capacity at the expense of consuming
[ pressurized gas. Thus the feasibility of this design with
cosh (l/R) (A u + n ) 'h 2
respect to a given bearin g problem will depend on the
= e/ c = Eccentricity ratio
E
gas flow rate and pumping power required to carry a
8 = x/ R = Angular coordinate specific load.
A
6ft. R
=~ w(D)2
c = Dimensionless
Aside from the low friction torque common to all gas-
lubricated bearin gs, the porous bushin g possesses a
speed parameter unique feature not commonly found in journal bearin gs.
Au = 24fl/l\T,KuR 2 p . (2/u ) ( l - ul When any of the common bearing instabilities occur, the
ac3 porous bushing is capable of absorbing fluid from the
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= Dimensionless feeding parameter bearing clearance space and damping out the associated
for the porous bushing pressure fluctuations . This characteristic can be obtained
ft. = Gas viscosity at the supply pressure in other bearin gs only at the expense of costly internal
p = Gas density machinin g operations.
a = Bushing flow-rate index
Basic Equations
w = Shaft angular velocity
(p w )n = Mass flow rate per unit area enter- The modified Reynolds' equation for the porous wall
ing the bearing clearance space at bearing is
I -
If V Au =
the inner surface of the bushing
Resistance ratio =axial flow resist- o
(
ph:l oP) 0(ph oP) 3

ance of the clearance space/ radial ox 12ft OX + OY 12ft OY

W
flow resistance of the porous bushing
o (Rwph)
- - - - +(pw)n=O [1]
2R (21) P. = Load coefficient ox 2
This equation contains the additional term (pw)n
Introduction associated with the mass in-flow rate of the gas to the
clearance space which is not found in the classical
TH E externally pressurized , porous-wall journal bearin g Reynolds' equation of hydrodynamic lubrication (see Fig.
derives its load-carrying capacity from two sources. As 1) .
in the case of the self-acting journal bearing, a pressure The mass flow rate of a compressible fluid through
is genera ted when the shaft, eccentric with respect to porous material can be correlated experimentally with
the bushin g, ig rotated in the presence of a viscous fluid. the pressure potential by using the Kozeny equation
The load-carrying capacity of such a bearing is based on capillaric models (1) :
proportional to the fluid viscosity and the shaft rotational
speed. When the bearing is lubricated with a relatively
[21
low viscosity fluid, such as a gas, this contribution
is relatively small, even at high rotational speeds.
The second source of load-carrying capacity is a
result of dissimilarities in the resistance to gas flow
through the clearance space caused by the eccentricity
of the shaft with respect to the bushing. These dis-
similarities are such that they give rise to a restorin g
pressure force on the shaft contrary to the externally
applied force causing the displacement. This second
means of creating load-carrying capacity gives promise
of considerably increasing the limited capacity of purely
hydrodynamic bearings.
Externally pressurized bearin gs commonly employ a
small number of orifice restrictors between the supply
pressure and the bearin g pressure. In the porous-wall
bearing the restrictors are greatly increased in number
and distributed more or less uniformly over the entire
bushing surface. In this way, the effect of the restrictors Shoft
is spread over the whole surface of the shaft instead of FIG. 1. Porous wall journal bearing
 290 H. J. SNEeK AND K. T . YEN

The experiments of Robinson and Sterry (2) indicate p Cos f

that the flow may be conveniently broken into two
regimes :
( 1) A low flow-rate regime in which C 1 is essentially
zero and the flow obeys the Darcy equation

[3J Bushing

(2) A high flow-rate regime in which C 2 is essentially

zero and the flow obeys a modified Darcy equation

[4J
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In the analysis to follow, it will be assumed that these

two equations adequately describe the flow through the
porous bushing on each of these regimes . Equations [3] Shaft
and [4 J may be generalized by using the approximation

[5J Load
FlG. 2. Schematic dia gram of the bearing for ), = 0
so that
The solution of this partial differential equation must
[6J satisfy the following conditions:

where a = 1.0 for flows which obey the Darcy equation ~ "P(O ,O) a
a ~ 2.0 for flows which are approximated by the OJ'
modified Darcy equation. "P( 0, 1) (P
p".) 2 -a = Po [11 ]
Assuming that the flow through the clearance space is
isothermal and obeys the perfect gas law "P(O, f) = "P(O + 2Jt, f)
P = p"RT., [7] An asymptotic solution
the modified Reynolds' equation becomes When approximation techniques are used to solve a
problem , it is desirable to obtain, by independent
o (pJil OP) 0 (ph OP) 3
methods, other solutions which can be used for com-
OX . 12f! ~ + oY 1"2; oY parative purposes. These solutions are usually in the

- OX
o (RWph)
--2- + K,P8 2 u
/
[1 (P)2]
1- P. ~---:- 0,
nature of asymptotic or limiting solutions which result
from assigning special values to one or more parameters.
One such solution can be obtained for the non-rotating
[8] case (A = 0) if it is assumed that the bearing is short,
or in dimensionless form for an aligned journal bearing i.e., l /R is much less than unity. The pressure distribu-
(see Figs. 1 and 2): tion in a "short bearing" is described approximately by

o ( 0"P ) ( R) 02"p 02"p ( 1)2 Au _

2 -- - - -p =o [12]
~
3
h
3
7jO + l h of2 of2 3
R h
which has the solution
- Au"P = Al
00
[(h(O" + "P) %] [9]
- _ - [ cosh(ljR) (Au/ h3) %ji ]
p - Pa -- . [13]
where cosh(ljR) (A u /h 3 )%
X= RO 24f!."RT8 K uR 2p. (2/u) ( l - u ) Physically it may be argued that the flow is short-
Au = 3
ae
circuited by the shortness of the bearing so that the
Y= l -'
J
flow in the clearance space is predominantly axial
11= 1 + E cosO in the absence of tangential viscous drag due to rotation.
The pressure distribution around this bearing is due to
(~r
6f!.Rw
p= (iY-O"
r.
'1.= -
P.,D
[ 10] the variation in the resistance of axial flow paths alone.
Since the "short bearing" equation neglects the cir-
 A Press urized, Gas-Lu bricat ed J ourn al Bearing Analyzed 29 1

cumferential gas flow, a process in the actual bearing The computation of the load-carrying capacity requires
which diminishes the circumfere ntial pressure variation that the pressure distribution
and the load capa city , the solution of this equatio n gives
the pressure distribution for the maximum possible load
carrying attainable in any given bear ing. _ { _ [ COSh (ljR ) (A,,/ lz3) %f ] } %
The ratio of the mass flow rate through the bush ing P- a + P« cosh (l/ R ) (A,,/lz3)%
with the shaft removed , called the flow coefficient, is [ 17]
given by be placed in the integrand of
- M- = -1-
M max 2rrpa
10
1 12

0
71" PdOdf. [ 14]
W= - 2 11 "71" P cosORdOdy. [18]
1o Il
When (I /R )2(A,,/1i3) < (rr/2F, this ratio is given by
the expan sion Thi s is a formidable task at best , but fortunately it has
been carried out by Constantinescu for a = 1.0 in a
J+
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2
M
1 ( I ) 2 [ 2 E + paper (3) which tr eats all porous beari ngs as " short
1- 3 R A" 2(I-' E2) 5/2 bearings ." T he numerical results of this integra tion will
be compared in a later section with the perturbation solu-
2 (I) 4 11 + 5E + 2.:58 E4l -
A" l
2
2 tion to follow.

IS
-
R ( I _E 2 ) 11 / 2 J The perturbation solution

17 (RI ) 6 If it is assumed that when A = 0, Eq . [9] has a

315 A,,3 perturbation solution of the form
p = Poo + POl E + P02E2 + P03E3 + . . . , [19]
one of the most perplexing parts of the solution can be
handled very simply, i.e., the problem of satisfying the
nonhomogeneous boundary condit ion, P (0 , 1) = Pa. In
+ .." [ IS] the perturbation solution , poo will sati sfy this condition
When (l/R )2(A,,/1i3) >> 1.0, while all the coefficients of E will satisfy the homogeneous
condition at the edge of the bearing.
. " . ::::
M nlllx
(~)
I
1/ (A,,)O" tanh (ljR ) (A,,)% Aside from mathematical expediency , there is a good
physical reason why a solution of this form is indicated.
. (1+136 E2+1~~4 E + 4
. . .) . [16]
The results of the asymp totic solution indica te that the
total flow rate through this bear ing is practically inde-
pendent of the eccentricity ratio. Experiments by Robin-
T he results of a numerical investi gat ion of the flow son and Sterry (2) subs tantiate this conclusion. Since
coefficient are given in T able 1. jJ ultimately determines the mass flow rat e (see Eq. [14 ] )
T ABL E 1 it is reasonable to assume that P is a weak function of
Flow Coefficient (M I M nm x ) (A sy mptot ic Solution ) E and therefore subject to a per turbation-type solution.

A comment of prac tical concern is appropriate at this

f IIRO.5 1.0 2.0 point. The modified Reynolds ' equation [8] contains one
empirica l constant, K", which depends on flow and must
0 .0 0 .960 a 0 .861 a 0.628 a
be determined experimentally for a given bushin g-shaft
0 .2 0 .956 0 .84 7 0 .631
0 .938 0 .765 0.646
combination. As already indicated, the quantity M /M mnx
0 .4
0 .6 is relatively insensitive to chan ges in eccentricity ratio for
small eccentricities ; thus a simple test may be performed
with a given bushing-shaft combination to determine
0 .0 0 .924" 0.7 62" 0 .482a K". Thi s test involves measuring the mass flow rat e
0 .2 0 .916 0.4 85 throu gh the bushin g at vario us pressure ratios with the
0.4 0 .833 0.496
shaft removed, and then measurin g the flow rates with
0 .6
the shaft in place at E :::: 0, i.e., unloaded except for its
own dead-weight. A plot of the first data, M max vs.
0 .0 0 .861 a 0 .628 a 0 .351 a (p;.!- Pa2) or (P.2 - Pa2) ¥" will dete rmine the character
0 .2 0 .847 0 .631 0 .354 of the flow through the bushin g. Since M /M max is in-
0.4 0 .765 0 .646 0 .361 dependent of pressure ratio , the experimental values of
0 .6 0 .374 M /M mux should be essentially constant for all pressure
" Exact values ratios : A comparison of this val ue with the design curves
 292 H . J. SNECK AND K. T . YEN

in the neighborhood of £ =
0 will identify Au and
Y 11 = Aoo ( Yoo - Yod
therefore K u . By using the known l/R , the flow and load
characteristics can then be determined under actual Y 22 = D oo(Y oo - Y02) D 01(Y 01- Y02) +
operating conditions. Y20 = Eoo'GVoo' - Voo' (1 ) Yoo) E od VOl - + YOO)
Substituting Eq. [19] into the modified Reynolds' [26]
equation [9] when f.. =
0 yields
using the definitions
?/P01
(1 + 3£ cose + 3£2 cos20 + E3 cos30) [ £ - - -
0 02
0 2P02
+ £2 ~ J
+ ... _ 3 sinO(1 + 2£ cosO
+ £2 cos20) [£2 OP01 + £3 OP02 + ... J
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00 00 where the constants Aoo through E 01 are given in the

Appendix.
+ (1 + 3£ cosO + 3E cos20 2
The dimensionless flow coefficient is given by the

+ £3 cos30) (Rl )2[rFdyPoo + £ 02P01

Oy22
integral

[2 8]
+ ... J- Au(Poo + POlE + P02£2 + ...) = O.
where
[20]
Collecting the coefficients of the like powers of e, and
M = 2rrR( 2l ) K uP. u [1 - ~ (::) 2J .
max
2
/ [29]

sett ing them equal to zero gives The load-carrying capacity is given by Eq. [18].

for eO: (I
R )2 rFpoo
~- AuP oo=O [ 21]
Expanding the pressure distribution in the neighborhood
of £ = 0 and integrating gives the dimensionless load
coefficient as

for e
1
:
0 2P01
~ +
( R)
T
2 02P01
Oy2 - Au POl W
2R(2l )P., -
- - - :rc-2::
2 Pa V
(J F
n
£n [30]
n=l,3,5...
= _ 3 cosO (~)2 rFpoo = L 1 [22]
where
l d y2

and

1 {~Y
11 -,-----,,-,-,-}
[3 1]
[23] ft(y ) = 2a [1 + (Pa Yoo/a )] 'h
where the functions pon (0 , y) are given by Numerical results
Poo = PaY oO The load and flow coefficients have been calculated
POl = PaY 11 cosO from the perturbation analysis carried out to the fifth
ord er in eccentricity ratio (4 ) . The specific operating
conditions investigated were:
POn = 2:: "

m=O,2,4...
Y nm cosmO (n even ) Au =
t/t: =
0.5,
0.5,
1.0, 2.0
1.0, 2.0
[24] P./Pa = 3.0, 6.0
(J = 1.0, 2.0

POn = 2:: "

m=l ,3,5...
V nmcosmO (n odd) For a given l/ R and Au, the numerical results show
that the flow is only slightly influenced by chan ges in
[25] eccentricity ratio up to e = 0.6 (Figs. 3-5). This trend
is in accord with the experimental findings of Robinson
and the functions V nm (y) are given by and Sterry (2) and agrees numerically with the results
 A Pressurized, Gas-Lubricated Journal Bearing Analyzed 293

of the asymptotic solution. Figure 6 correlates the flow 1.0 . . . - : : - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ,

coefficient with the parameter (II R) (Au) liz to show that

...... t
for purposes of " rough design " at eccentricities less
than 0.6
5JOB ""t"i'
- . 1.0,--- - - - -- - -- - - - - - - - - - - , C 0 .6
.... ' ....1'" Approaching i /RVA;,.

~IJ
Q)
'u
::=
c "C;~~~.5 U
Q)
o
0 .4

'"
\~~~-= 1.0
;t
~ 0.8 .2 0 .2
u,
'"
o
U
;t
o
1~~ = 2 .0 ° o!;------;';;--------;;':::---------:;'
1.0 2 .0 3 .0
i:L I
0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8
Eccentricity Ratio (E) FIG. 6. Flaw coefficient vs. (1/ R) ( Au ) \12 (approxima tion )
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FIG. 3. Flow coefficient vs. eccent ricity ratio, Au = 0.5 (per-

turbation analysis) . MIL - l -
- : : : : : : I - - - yA u ,
M max 4 R
Ii V A u :s; 2.0 [32]
1.0,---------------------,

/ .i./ R=0.5 M R l -
"R Y A u ): 2.0. (33]

0.8
---- A somewhat more accurate estimate may be made using
the results of the zero-order perturbation in the
>< . :1.0 simplified equation
o
~
~~
-'"
1 0.6
c
E
M
--::::::
M m ax
1 0
1

YoodY. (34 ]

........u The load coefficient-eccentricity ratio plots (Figs.

'"
o
u 0.4 7-15) indicate some stiffening with increasing eccentricity
;t
o
ratio, especially in the shorter bearings. This trend is
i:L also substantiated by the work of Robinson and Sterry
(2). The load coefficient for the case a 2.0, P.IPa = =
0.2
3.0 was also computed, but the results are not shown
here since they were considered to be of doubtful ac-
curacy. This is because Eq. (5] is a poor approximation
for PIP. ~ 1.0 and indicates that it can probably be
used only when P.IPa ): 6.0.
0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8
A conservative estimate of the load-carrying capacity
Eccent ricity Ratio (E)
can be made by using the results of the first-order
FIG. 4. Flow coefficient vs. eccentricity ratio , Au = 1.0 (per- perturbation in the simplified equation
turbation an alysis ) .
w
1.0,--- - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - , -----
2R(2l)p.
r-- C
r .t/R =0.5
npaE JI{ 11
>< ---- Y
} dy [35]
~ 0

-1 0.8 4ya 0 y[1 + (Pa Yoo/a)]

1
j ..€/ R=I.O
c
Optimum design
'"
'u ---
:E The dimensionless form of the modified Reynolds'
u '"
o
0.6 equation [9] shows that when A= 0
;t
i:L
o
Flow resistance ratio =
axial flow resistance of the clearance space
0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 radial flow resistance of the porous bushing
Eccentricity Ratio (E)
a: (l/R) V Au [36]
FIG. 5. Flow coefficient vs. eccentricity ratio, Au = 2.0 (per-
turbation analysis). In this sense, Fig. 6 indicates that for a given Mmax:
 294 H. J. SNECK AND K. T. YEN

the flow rate decrease s as the resistance ratio is increased load-carrying efficiency and it occurs when the resistance
and no " optimum" exists. ratio is roughly unity.
On the other hand , if the load coefficient is correlated A direct comparison of the perturbation load coefficients
with the resistance ratio as in Figs. 16-19 , it becomes with those of Constantinescu (3 ) is possible only for the
immediately apparent that there is a condition of optimum case P./Pa =
6.0, Al =
1.0 (Fi g. J6) . For (l/R) 0 =
the perturbation results correlate very well with the
0.3,---- - -- - - - -- - - - - ----, asymptotic solution, indicating that the perturbation
solution approaches the asymptotic solution as (l /R)
approaches zero. As (l/R) is increased, the deviation

- ~ 0.2
between the analyses becomes more pronounced, with the
perturbation load coefficients always less than the
-
:§
( l)
o
asymptotic load coefficients in accordance with the
" maximum load " hypothesis. Thus, the perturbation
U
solution extend s the (l/R) ran ge beyond the " short
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-l
s 0.1
0.4,--- - - -- - -- -- - -- - - ---,

0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8

Eccentricity Ratia (E ) 0.3

FIG. 7. Load coefficient vs. eccentricity ratio , Al = 0.5, c:

Ps/Pu = 3.0, a = 1.0. (l)

0.3,--- - - - - - - -- - - , -- - ----,
-
.~

~ 0.2 /
/
'"
",J'--i/R = 0.5

--..e/R=1.0 u
u
'"
'" '" ,~..e/R
/ o

/'"
, =0.5
o
-l

-
. ~ 0.2
u
/
~/
,~L-..e/R = 2.0 0.1

~
(l)
o
U
u
g 0.1 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8
-l
Eccentricity Rat io (E)
FIG. 10. Load coefficient vs. eccentricity ratio , Al 0.5,
p. /Pa = 6.0, a 1.0. =
0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8
Eccentric ity Ratio (E) 0.4,--- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ----,
FIG. 8. Load coefficient vs . eccentr icity ratio , Al 1.0,
Ps/Pu = 3.0, a = 1.0.
,.I--.l/R = 1.0
/
0.3 , - - - - - - - - -- -- -- -- - ---, 0.3 / ,J---..e/R=0.5

,,
/
/ -
c:
.~
'"
/ /
'" '" '"
/ '"
~i,/R= 2 .0
,/

-
c:
(l)
·u
0.2 '"
/
u
~
~ 0.2
/
,/

u
:E
(l)
u
o
0
u
i/R=1.0 o
-l
u
:2/R = 2.0
0
0 0.1 0.1
-l

0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8

Eccentricity Ratio ( E ) Eccentricity Ratio (E)

FI G. 9. Load coefficient vs . eccentricity ratio , Al 2.0, FIG. 11. Lo ad coefficient vs. eccentricity ratio, Al 1.0,
p. /Pu =
3.0, a = 1.0. Ps/Pa = 6.0, a =
1.0.
 A Pressurized, Gas-Lubricated J ourn al Bearing Analyzed 295

bear ing" analysis of Constantinescu and shows that the D = 2.0 inches
load coefficients and optimum load-carrying capacity for Wall thickness = 0.250 inch
a given pressure ra tio are characterized, in general, by
c = 0.001 inch
the two parameters, (ll R) and A", rather tha n the
Air at 70 F
single parameter, (lIR) v' A.
T . = 530 0R

Numerical example fA. = 2.62 (10- 9 ) poundj-seconds per in.2

'R.. = 53.3 foot-pound, per pound..- 0 R
The following example illustrates the use of the design
curves in a specific application. a = 1.0
K1 = 0.5 (10- 7 ) in.2 -poundm per pound/'-
Given : second
Cast Iron Porous Bushing, S.G. = 5.9 pa= 15 psia
L = 2.0 inches P. = 90 psia
Downloaded by ["Queen's University Libraries, Kingston"] at 20:55 07 March 2015

0.4r-- - - - - -- - -- - - - - - - - - , O.4 r-- - - -- - -- - - - . - - , - - - -- - --,

.fIR = 1.0 - /'/--.i/R= 0.5

I I /
I II ,
I I /
0.3
.fIR =0.5 --: o'L-.f/R =1.0 / o'.<-,--.f/ R= 2.0
0.3 /
I /
I /
~
/ / ~
c / / c
.~ / .~
o / 0
::= /
::=
~ 0.2 0.2
u U
'"
a
"0
o :.i/R = 2.0 "0
0
a a
--l --l

0.1 0.1

0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8

Eccent ricit y Ratio (E) Eccentricity Rat io (E)

FIG. 12. Load coefficient vs. eccentricity ratio, Al = 2.0, F IG. 14. Load coefficient vs. eccentricity ratio, A2
P. / Pa =
6.0, 0 1.0. = P';P a =
6.0, 0 2.0. =
O.4r--- - -- - -- - -- -r- - - ---, O.4r-- -- - - - - -- - - - - -----,
I I I
.f /R =10 III--.f/R =2.0 I
I' . --""" I J...----.f/R= \.0
II I
I I I I
I I I - -.f/R = 0.5 I
II I I
0.3 0.3
' I
I,
~ ~

c c .f/ R = 0.5-I /
'"
'u '"
'u , .fIR = 2.0
:E s~ I
'"
a
U
0.2
u
0.2
,I
I

"0 "0
0 o
a
--l .s
0.1 0.1

0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 0.2 0 .4 0 .6 0.8

Eccentricity Rati o (E) Eccent ricit y Rat io ( E)

FIG. 13. Load coefficient vs. eccentricity ratio, 1\2 = 0 .5, FIG. 15. Load coefficient vs. eccentricity ratio, A 2 2.0,
P. /Pa =
6.0, 0 2.0 . = P';P a =
6.0, 0 2.0. =
 296 H. J. SNECK AND K. T. YEN

Com puting: By using F igs. 4 and 11:

M Load Load
t/R 1.0 = E M /M max (Ib"./ hour) coefficient (lb , )
PH/P a = 6.0
2 4 f!s"RT.K IR ~ 0.0 0.780 13.90 0.000 0.000
Al = c
3 1.0 7 0.1 0.778 13.85 0.055 19.8
0. 2 0. 775 13.80 0.110 39 .6
2R(21)P. = 360 po unds, 0.3
0.4
0.768
0. 760
13.70
13.60
0.170
0.235
61.2
84.5
Mmax =2rrR(21)KI [P/ - Pa2] = 17.8 pounds". 0.5 0.755 13.4 5 0.300 108.0
per hour 0.6 0.750 13.36

0.5r-- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ---,
Asymptotic Lood Coefficient Asymptatic Load Coeff icient
(Const ontlne scus)
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, (Constun t inescu- )
,, ,-.
,,
0.4 E =0.6 0 .4 E =0.6
-.,
c: I
.,
c: " ..... .... ....
,"" ----.... .... ..... ...., ' ....
;g
Q;
0 .3
I
,,/ ~
' ----'- ~ ~~
, -
;g 0.3
Q;
/ ( E =0.6, A I= ; ; l~ _
o o
U E =06, f / R =1.0 - -/ - -" U E -06, A -1.0
I I
I~ E =0.6, .R/R =0.5
" 0 .2 " 0 .2
o o
.3 E =0.6, e/« =2.0 .3

00 1.0 2 .0 3 .0 4 .0 1.0 2 .0 3.0 4 .0

i./R"VA; .R/R"VA;
F IG. 16a. Load coefficient vs. (l I R )( AI) 'h (l I R constant on FIG. 17a. Loa d coefficient vs. (l I R )(AI) 'h ( AI constant on
pe rtu rba tion curves ) PHI Pa 6.0; 0 =
1.0; E 0.6. = = perturbation curves ) . P';Pa 6.0 ; 0 1.0 ; E =
0.6. = =
0.5>.----- -- - - - - - - -- - - - - - - ---, 0.5.,-- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ---,
Asymptot ic Lood Coef fi cient
0.4 (Const onttnescue) 0.4
E= OA Asym ptotic Load Coefficient
.,
c: c., (Const onti nescu- )
¥ 0 .3 : ~ 0 .3
:::
E= OA
.,

i/:C~
Q;
/-----~ .
.
o o
U U .

~
" 0 .2 " 0 .2
o o
.3 o
...J

/ \ E =OA,£/R= 0.5 E - OA , £/ R- 2.0 • ' · OA,A,·2.0

. \ E =OA, A =0.5 E-OA,A I -I .O
I
1.0 2 .0 3.0 4 .0 1.0 2 .0 3.0 4 .0
i./R"VA; i./ R"I[A;
F IG. 16b. Lo ad coefficient vs. (II R ) ( AI ) 'h (II R constan t on F IG. 17b. Load coefficient vs. (II R ) (A I) 'I. (AI constant on
pertu rba tion curves) P~/Pa 6.0; 0 1.0 ; E =0.4. = = per turbat ion curves) . P. I Pa 6.0 ; 0 1.0 ; E =
0.4. = =
0 5r-- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ---, 0.5, -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ,

0.4 0 .4
~

.,
c:
.,
c:
~ 0 .3 Asym ptot ic Lood Coeff icient :~ 0.3 Asymptot ic Load Coeffi cient
Q;
o (Const cnti nescut )
o
.,
::: (Const cnt inescu-)
U E =0.2 U E =0.2
" 0 .2 " 0 .2
o o
E = 0.2, .f/R =2.0
.3 o

~~-,.l-'/:-R-=
...J
0.1
1.-0--'-- -
E - 0.2, .fIR - 0.5
1.0 0 .2 0 .3 0.4
1.0 2 .0 3.0 4 .0
i./ R"I{i:; i./R~
FIG. 16c. Loa d coefficient vs. (lI R ) (A I) 'h (l I R constant on FIG. 17c. Loa d coefficient vs. (1I R)( A 1) 'h (AI constant on
perturba tion curves) . P. IP a 6.0 ; 0 1.0 ; E =
0.2. = = pert urb at ion curves). P. I Pa 6.0 ; 0 1.0 ; E =
0.2. = =
 A Pressurized, Gas-Lubricated Journal Bearing Analyzed 297

'-- - - -
0. 5 , - - - - - - - ------.;,..--- - - -- - -___, 0. 3 , - - - - -....-~'=""---------___,
", ---
~" ------
-'"
c: ,',' <., / :
.....

- /~E = 0.6 , A I = 0.5

Z -'"
0.4 , '0 0.2
E= 0.6, AI = 1.0
-c:
:~ 0.3
o
U
-g
-'"
U
o
, .. D.6,A,-D.5 o
-.J
0.1

"0 0.2 °o~------"J::__----~=-------='

o 1.0 2.0 3.0
o
-.J ~/R~
0.1 FIG. 19a. Load coefficient vs. (1IR)(A 1 ) 'h (constant Al
=
curves). P';P a 3.0; (J 1.0; E =
0.6. =
Downloaded by ["Queen's University Libraries, Kingston"] at 20:55 07 March 2015

°o~------"J::__----~::__----__='
1.0 2.0 3.0
0. 3 , - -- -- - -- - -- - - - - ------,
.R/R-..;A;
FIG. 18a. Load coefficient vs. (ll R) (A 2) '12 (constant A2 c
curves). ps/P a =
6.0 ; (J =
2.0 ; E 0 .6 . = :~
.... 0.2 /"_--~o

~.4,A,-LD
....
'"
o
U
0 . 5 , - - - - -- -- -- -- - - - - - -----, "0 0.1f-
a
o
-.J

0.4 °o~------:-'::--------=-"=--------'
1.0 2.0 3.0
, <, / E= 0.4, A2= 2.0 ..e/RY""A:

----"'---
c:
.~ 03
-'" FIG. 19b. Load coefficient vs. (ljR) (A 1 ) 'h
curves). PslPa =
3.0 ; (J 1.0 ; E =
0.4. =
(constant Al

~D5
o
U
"0 0.2
o
o 0.3.--------------------,
-.J

0.1
-....
c
:~ 0.2
vo E =0.2, A I= 2.0
°oo-----,..--'::---------=-'-=-------='
1.0 2.0 3.0 u
'8 0.1

~0.2,AI=I.0
o
-.J
FIG. 18b. Load coefficient vs. (ljR) (A 2 ) '12 (constant A2
curves) . P';P a =
6.0 ; (J =
2.0; E 0.4. = 1.0 2.0 3.0
..e/R~
0. 5 . - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - , FIG. 19c. Load coefficient vs. (l/R) (A 1 ) 'h (constant Al
curves). PslPa =
3.0; (1 1.0 ; E =
0.2. =
0.4

-'"
c:
'0 0.3
Summary

The dimensionless flow coefficient, independent of

:E pressure ratio by definition , was found to be almost
'"
o
u independent of eccentricity ratio for E < 0.6, consistent '
E = 0 .2, A 2 = 2.0
'8 0.2 with experimental evidence. As a result, simplified
.3 formulas for the flow rate were developed which are

~.~=0.2 ,A2=1.0
sufficiently accurate for most purposes , and a simple test
0.1
procedure for determining the empirical constant K;
was devised.
°oO------L,-------:-'.,....-------"J The dimensionless load coefficient was found to be
1.0 2.0 3.0 generally dependent on all the individual parameters :
..e/Rl{A; Ps/Pa, l/R , E, 0, and Aq • For the limiting case of
FIG. 18c. Load coefficient vs. (l IR) (A 2 ) 'h (constant A2 l/R ~ 0, it was found that the number of parameters
=
curves) . P';P a 6.0 ; (J =
2.0 ; E 0.2. = could be reduced by combining l/ Rand Aq into a single
 298 H. J. SNECK AND K. T . YEN

parameter, (l jR) yA u , which is proportional to the 4. SNECK, H . J., "The Externally Pre ssurized , Porous Wall , Gas
ratio of the axial flow resistance of the clearance space Lubricated Journal Bearin g," Ph .D. Thesis in the Department
to the radial flow resistance of the bushing. This resist- of Mechanical Engineering, Ren sselaer Polytechnic Institute;
T roy , N .Y., June, 1963.
ance-ratio is of special physical significance since the
load-carrying efficiency is optimum when it is ap-
proximately unity. The maximum possible load-carrying Appendix
capacity attainable by any bearing was also established
by an asymptotic solution which depends on this com- The constants used in Eq . [26] are calculated from
the following formulas:
bined parameter.
For values of the resistance ratio (l jR) yA u less than A oo = 3A.,.
unity, the load coefficient was found to be a nonlinear
3A oo
function of the eccentricity ratio, exhibiting a stiffen-
ing characteristic with increasing eccentricity. The load-
Boo = 3A u +- - (1 -
2
Au)
_ 3A oo
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eccentricity dependence tends toward linearity as

B 01 - - 2 - (Au - 1)
(l jR) y Au increases beyond unity. This behavior
permits the load coefficient to be conservatively estimated 3A oo
from the first-order perturbation results. Coo = 3Au - - 2 - (1 + Au)
REFERENCES C0 1- - -3A oo
-2- ( 1 + A~)
v

1. SCHEIDEGGER, A. E. , "The Physics of Flow through Porous

Media," pp . 120-139 . Macmillan, New York, 1957. B oo
D oo = - - -
2. ROBINSON, C. H ., and STERRY, T . F. , "The Strength of Pres- 4
sure-Fed Air Lubricated Journal Bearin gs," ED /R 1672 B OI
AERE-Harwell, 1958. D 01 = - - -
3. CONsTANTnn:sc u, V. N ., " Some Considerations Regarding
3
the Design of Bearings Fed under Pressure through a Large
Number of Hole s or through Porous Surfaces," Studii si
E001 = _Co~
2A.,.
Cerecetari de Me canica Aplicata, Academia Republicii
Populare Romine, Vol. XIII, No. 1, pp . 175-191 , 1962.