Misaligned journal effects in liquid hydrostatic non-recessed journal bearings

The performance characteristics of a capillary-compensated hole-entry hybrid misaligned journal bearing have been studied theoretically. The journal of the bearing is allowed to tilt on an axial plane containing the load vector and on a plane perpendicular to an axial plane containing the load vector. The journal misalignment has been accounted for by defining a pair of misalignment parameters σ and δ. The finite element method has been used to solve Reynold's equation governing the lubricant flow field in the clearance space of the journal bearing. Static and dynamic performance characteristics are presented for the different representative values of the journal misalignment parameters for both hydrostatic and hybrid modes of operation of the bearing. The bearing performance characteristics are also compared for the two hole-entry bearing configurations so as to facilitate the selection of a suitable bearing configuration by the designer. The study suggests that the journal misalignment significantly affects the performance of the hole-entry journal bearing, and for a more accurate prediction of the bearing performance it must be considered in the analysis.