Design guidelines for hydrostatic journal bearings

Purpose - To provide an up-to-date review and design guide for industry users and designers of hydrostatic fluid film journal bearings. Design/methodology/approach - Detailed study and review of published works dating from 1965 to 2004. Comments and comparisons made on findings and ease of use for each. Design guide study summarised in outline form showing relationships and interdependencies of dimensions and parameters. Findings - Some previous design recommendations difficult to use owing to errors, ambiguous use of symbols and undefined terms. Terms are frequently interchanged without definition, sometimes in the same paper. Many works difficult and time-consuming to retrieve and study without access to comprehensive technical library archives. Research limitations/implications - Work indicated that more evaluation and practical study may be needed for full study. Guideline approach useful for busy designers to help lead understanding through more detailed works available. Practical implications - A very useful outline summarising the key features of hydrostatic bearings and the relationships between performance and key design parameters and dimensions. A good introduction for designers embarking on a new bearing design or needing to specify an application. Originality/value - Encapsulates a widely varied and published field with appropriate cautionary commentary on uses and abuses of current design guides.