Experimental Investigation of Hybrid Bearings

A new type of bearing test rig has been set up for static and dynamic tests of oil-film journal bearings. Micro pressure and displacement transducers contained in the shaft measure the distribution of oil film pressure and thickness, and two electromagnetic exciters are located under and behind the test bearing to excite the test bearing in order to obtain its eight dynamic stiffness and damping coefficients. A misalignment jig was employed to align or misalign the test bearing with respect to the axis of the shaft. Valuable performance results were obtained for a recessed hydrostatic bearing, a slot-entry hybrid bearing, and a hole-entry hybrid bearing.