Experimental evidence of a two-axial groove hydrodynamic journal bearing under severe operation conditions

•The journal bearing operates under severe conditions, i.e., high static load (350 kN) with very low speed (66 rpm).•Oil film thickness is measured using a rotating proximity sensor which installed inside of the hollow rotating shaft.•Calculation of experimental dynamic coefficients using the robust estimation method.•The bearing deformation is calculated based on the oil-film thickness.•The centre position of the bearing can be identified from the oil-film thickness profile by a fitting procedure.

In this study, an experimental investigation of the influence of the applied static load and rotational speed on the behaviour of a 160-mm diameter cylindrical journal bearing with two axial grooves was conducted. The rotational speed ranged from 66 rpm to 1440 rpm, and the applied static load varied from 0 kN to 350 kN in the vertical direction. The profiles of the pressure and the oil-film thickness during the shaft rotation have been measured by one proximity probe and one pressure probe installed in the rotating shaft. Measurements of the shaft centre position, dynamic coefficients, hydrodynamic pressure, temperature distributions on the bearing, film thickness, and bearing deformation under several operating conditions are presented and discussed.