Numerical analysis on externally pressurized high-speed gas-lubricated porous journal bearings

High-speed gas-lubricated porous journal bearings up to 200,000 rpm are analyzed numerically. The effects of rotation speed, bearing eccentricity, permeability and thickness of the porous wall on bearing load capacity and attitude angle are investigated. The adequate initial conditions are necessary to improve the convergence of the numerical solutions for high rotation speeds. The results show that the hydrodynamic effect of high rotation speed is not as significant in gas-lubricated film as the effect of bearing eccentricity to increase the load capacity. The results also show that the lower permeability and the thicker wall of the porous bearing produce the higher load capacity.