Influence of inlet oil temperature on the instability threshold of rotor-bearing systems

The existing literature contains a number of disparities in assessing the effect of inlet oil temperature on the instability threshold speed in hydrodynamic journal bearings. Specifically, some papers have presented evidence that lowering the inlet oil temperature tends to have a stabilizing effect, whereas others have shown the opposite. No clear explanation has been offered for this phenomenon. This paper presents the results of a series of experiments that explain the nature of these disparities and sheds light on the effect of the inlet oil temperature on the instability threshold in hydrodynamic journal bearings.