4. Aerodynamic bearings

The static and dynamic characteristics of the circular bearing will be presented and discussed in detail. The circular bearing has the advantage of being very simple, but its use is rather restricted due to its limited stability characteristics. Nevertheless, knowledge of its static and dynamic characteristics remains important for preliminary studies, even for more elaborate bearings, since its load capacity represents an upper limit (lobe and oscillating pad bearings have a lower load capacity), and its stability limit is the most unfavorable. The special features of lobe and tilting pad bearings will then be illustrated.