The effects of the film pressures at the leading edge of the pad on the performance of the bearing are analyzed both experimentally and theoretically.
A model bearing with one single sector-shaped, pivoted pad on the rotating disk is used, and the pressures of oil film between the pad and rotating disk are observed by using strain gage type-pressure sensors which were mounted in the disk.
A numerical analysis is performed by means of Finite Element Method(F.E.M.). The Reynolds equation is solved for a sector-shaped pad, wherein the boundary values of the film pressures at the leading edge are set the ram pressures obtained by the conservation equation of mechanical energy of the incoming flow.
It is shown that the ram pressures of the leading edge of oil film affect on the maximum pressure, load capacity, and friction force. And an alikeness to the distribution of the pressures in the oil film between numerical computation and experiments is obtained provided that the ram pressures of leading edge are taken into account.
