The objectives of this study are to experimentally investigate the performance characteristics of similar hydrostatic thrust bearings using different socket geometries. In this study, the lubrication equations for the bearing are derived based upon an assumption that the bearing deformations are small and that they may be modeled linearly. This study is based upon the hypothesis that variations in the socket geometry will impact the deformation characteristics of the bearing and thereby have an effect on the overall performance of the design. To test this hypothesis, bearings with different socket geometries are designed and tested and compared to the original bearing design with standard socket geometry. The experimental results are then used with the analytical results to numerically infer the minimum fluid-film thickness and the magnitude of deformation for the bearing. Conclusions are drawn from these results which indicate that socket geometry has a significant impact on the bearing performance and that both leakage and load-carrying capacity may be altered by adjusting the location of the contact point within the ball-and-socket joint relative to the center of the ball.
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