Stability Characteristics of Floating Bush Bearings

Abstract

Stability characteristics, or “oil-whip suppressing effect”, of floating bush bearings is investigated theoretically and experimentally. A theory based on the assumptions of “infinitely short bearing” and “film rupture in negative-pressure region” is derived and stability charts obtained by numerical calculations are presented. Experimentally, it is found that there are two kinds of oil-whip suppressing effects depending on mean bearing pressure. The present theory is considered to be valid for the case of relatively high bearing pressure, because of the second assumption, and is actually in good agreement with experiments in that case.