The U.S. Naval Engineering Experiment Station, Annapolis, Maryland, is at present conducting tests on water lubricated bearings. High pressures, high water temperatures, high angular speeds, and fine clearances are involved in these tests. The authors first became interested in the problem of fluid flow through water lubricated bearings during an informal discussion with Mr. Watt V. Smith, Superintendent of Bearings Project, U. S. Naval Engineering Experiment Station, who is in charge of the tests. The Engineering Experiment Station has thus far largely confined its investigation to the problems of load carrying capacity and erosion effects. The fluid flow through these bearings appeared to be an interesting problem and the authors offered their services to the EES for an analysis of the flow. Mr. Smith made the full test apparatus available to the authors for their investigation. With the hope of assisting the Engineering Experiment Station in the evaluation of test data, the authors chose the task of finding suitable formula and graphical methods for determining the rate of flow through a water lubricated bearing from known pressure and temperature conditions in the bearing.

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http://archive.org/details/aninvestigationo1094531637

Lieutenant Commander, United States Navy