Wave Journal Bearings Under Dynamic Loads

The dynamic behavior of the wave journal bearing was determined by running a three-wave bearing with an eccentrically mounted shaft. A transient analysis was developed and used to predict numerical data for the experimental cases. The three-wave journal bearing ran stably under dynamic loads with orbits well inside the bearing clearance. The orbits were almost circular and nearly free of the influence of, but dynamically dependent on, bearing wave shape. Experimental observations for both the absolute bearing-housing-center orbits and the relative bearing-housing-center-to-shaft-center orbits agreed well with the predictions. Moreover, the subsynchronous whirl motion generated by the fluid film was found experimentally and predicted theoretically for certain speeds.