Hydrodynamic Sector Bearings as Circular Saw Guides

Hydrodynamic sector bearings, which were arbitrarily oriented and tilted over a plane surface rotatng at constant angular velocity, were theoretically and experimentally investigated for thrust, pressure, friction, and lubricant flow. Such bearings have application in the positioning of circular saws and are termed saw guides. Four fundamental guide inclination states were defined, and a class of quasi-optimal designs, maximizing thrust intensity, were determined for each state. Experiments were conducted to support the theory.