Abstract
A theoretical prediction of the steady state characteristics of a hydrodynamic short bearing with a circumferential central feeding groove is presented. An implicit relationship between the lubricant feeding pressure, the Sommerfeld number and the bearing eccentricity has been derived and used to investigate the effect of the feeding groove and supply pressure on the pressure field of the oil film and the bearing eccentricity. Curves relating the eccentricity to the Sommerfeld number for various supply pressures are presented and compared with published data obtained using numerical methods. A simplified explicit model has also been derived and shown to be useful for low Sommerfeld numbers. The steady state bearing characteristics predicted by the presented model are in good agreement with those of other published research work using other approaches.