Heshmat, H. “On the Mechanism of Operation of Flat Land Bearings,” 14th Leeds-Lyon Tribology Symposium, Interface Dynamics, Villeurbanne, France, September 1987, Paper VI (iv), Trib. Series 12, Elsevier Publication edited by Dowson et al. (1988), pp. 149-157.
This paper presents experimental data on the performance of parallel plate thrust bearings for a range of loads, speeds and inlet oil temperatures. Several aspects of bearing operation were investigated, including the possible effects of a tapered edge at the inlet to the pads. A careful mapping of the temperature field provided insight into the mechanism of generating hydrodynamic pressures in parallel plate thrust bearings. These temperatures on one hand support the postulate that thermo-elastic distortion induced by the temperature gradients normal to the fluid film and the bi-metallic babbitt-metal assembly is responsible for the load capacity of parallel plate surfaces. On the other hand, past and recent experiences indicated that a wide spectrum of tribological interactions cannot be treated by the separate approaches that have always been assigned to hydrodynamic action–morpho-morphological effects are at work.