Power Losses in High-Speed Journal Bearings

The effect and interrelationship of the various factors which influence bearing losses have been the subject of many experiments and a vast amount of theoretical work since the basic physical principles of lubrication were outlined by Osborne Reynolds. In the half century following Reynolds’ work, the hydrodynamic theory of lubrication has undergone considerable development. Like all theory, it needs to be examined and re-examined in the light of experimental data. In this paper, several novel contributions in the form of experiment and theory are presented. The paper deals with the results of tests made to determine the power losses of bearings of the type used on turbines manufactured by the company with which the authors are associated.