Abstract
This work presents the possibility to adapt self-acting air bearing to a rapid diesel engine turbocharger originally designed with oil journal bearings. The aim of this innovative idea is to estimate a global evolution of efficiency which is a parameter that strongly influences the inlet air mass of the diesel engine. This study deals with radial bearings and illustrates the advantages and the limits of the aerodynamic bearing application. First, the computing concerns the determination of the bearing load by resolving the Reynolds equation. So, the determination of the neat turbine power by a mathematical model using some experimental data is also made. Lastly, a comparison with the original hydrodynamic bearings is presented. Some discussions are also developed.