Viscosity-Pressure Effect on Friction and Temperature in a Journal Bearing

The recently published report on investigations conducted by the ASME Research Committee on Lubrication on the increase in viscosity of lubricants with pressure brings up the question of the importance of this phenomenon in actual machine elements. The present tests were undertaken to show differences in friction and operating temperature when heavily loaded partial journal bearings were operated with two different oils in the same viscosity range but of widely different viscosity index and viscosity-pressure characteristics. It is hoped that the results obtained in this short study will lead to more comprehensive investigations, not only in the field of journal bearings, but in other machine elements as well.