Oil Wave Journal Bearing Steady-State Data From a New Test Rig

An oil lubricated wave bearing has been tested on a new rig for fluid film journal bearings at NASA Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio, USA. The tests are intended to evaluate the rig possibilities of running without misalignment. Data recorded under steady-state conditions included oil flow rate, input, output and oil supply temperatures, and shaft position. Two sets of data were collected: i) by varying the load to 9000 N at a constant shaft rotation speed of 8,000 RPM and ii) by varying the speed from 9,000 to 12,000 RPM at constant load of 6,700 N. The temperatures of the metal sleeves were also recorded. Vibration levels at four locations were displayed and recorded. These measurements indicated that damping from the wave bearings provides significant attenuation of the vibration generated by the air turbine that drives the rig.