Compliant journal bearing with angular stiffness gradient

A hydrodynamic compliant journal bearing for dynamically supporting a rotor in a journal sleeve on a plurality of compliant journal bearing pads affixed to the inside surface of the journal sleeve, each of said pads comprising:

• a flexible sheet metal bearing sheet having a bearing surface in bearing relationship to said rotor and operatively attached to the sleeve along one edge of said bearing sheet extending transversely to the direction of rotation of the rotor;
• a resilient supporting structure, operatively fixed to the sleeve and lying between said bearing sheet and the sleeve for resiliently and compliantly supporting said bearing sheet;
• said supporting structure including a support element having resilient elevations projecting therefrom and operatively supporting said bearing sheet;
• said supporting structure varying in stiffness along its length from leading toward trailing edges thereof, in the sense of the direction of rotor rotation, establishing a stiffness gradient which increases from said leading edge toward said trailing edge to produce a pad profile, under hydrodynamic loading, that is canted with respect to the rotor surface, said canted profile sloping toward the rotor surface from leading to trailing edge in operation with an inclination which increases with increasing rotor rotation speed;
• whereby the operation of the bearing throughout its speed and load range is stable.