Testing of a Large Adjustable Hydrodynamic Journal Bearing

The design and testing of two novel adjustable hydrodynamic journal bearings are outlined. Each was designed to replace a conventional bearing in a large marine gearbox. They were tested in a land based rig and their performances compared with that of the conventional bearing. The novel bearings demonstrated the ability to suppress journal centre orbits, to reposition the journal centre in any direction, and to operate with significantly reduced temperature rise. One of the bearings also demonstrated the ability to translate the journal centre in a controlled manner by an amount exceeding double the clearance of the conventional bearing. Implications of such characteristics are considered as potential benefits in various bearing applications.