Abstract: A novel and universal computational method for obtaining the dynamic stiffness and dynamic damping coefficients of aerodynamic bearings is presented by means of the partial derivative method applied to the gas-lubricated Reynolds equation. The dynamic stiffness and dynamic dam- ping coefficients of a typical aerodynamic bearing are nume- rically computed by using the finite element method and special emphasis is placed on investigating the effects of the perturba- tion frequency of the journal, the static load applied on the bearing and the compressibility number on these coefficients. The numerical results are given in tabular and graphic forms and the direct dependency of the dynamic stiffness and dynamic damping coefficients of aerodynamic bearings on the perturbation frequency of the journal is explained theoretically.

Key words: Aerodynamic bearings, Dynamic damping coefficients, Dynamic stiffness coefficients, Partial derivative method, Perturbation frequency of the journal