The effects of a membrane restrictor’s design parameters on the performance of a hydrostatic opposed-pad bearing are presented in this article. Compared to the single-pad bearing, the opposed-pad bearing can perform much better in terms of static stiffness over a wider load range. It is also found that, for small bearing eccentricity, the optimal design restriction ratio of 0.25 still results in high bearing stiffness even if the dimensionless stiffness of membrane is not the optimal value of 1.33. Furthermore, decreasing the ratio of the upper effective area to the lower effective area generally increases the applicable working range of the bearing. Additionally, for high loading demands, the chance for further improvement of bearing performance by employing different design parameter for each pad is examined. Finally, a design procedure for designing the membrane restrictor for an opposed-pad bearing to achieve high static stiffness is given.
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