The Stability of the Self-Lubricated Journal Slider Bearing

Un-equivocal criteria could be established assuring a perfectly stable operation of the shaft in a restricted, but nevertheless technically interesting range of operational conditions. It enables bearing designers to choose all physical and operational parameters in order to avoid the so called “half speed whirl”. This study hopes to bring enough new elements to attenuate the ill merited reputation of such bearings. Therefore the relevant dimensionless numbers were identified and quantified. What was done for an L/D=1, can be applied to any other bearing configuration, provided the quasi-steady reaction forces, acting on the shaft, are known for the entire range of eccentricities 0<ε<0.9.