A dynamics model of the self-aligning ball bearing is proposed based on the Jones-Harris method （JHM）, and a computer program is developed to solve the equations by using the Newton-Raphson method. A parametric analysis of the centrifugal force and the gyroscopic moment, the contact loads, the contact angles, the radial deformation and the radial stiffness is carried out. The analytical results show that the applied loads and the rotational speed are two main factors that can influence the distributions of the contact loads and values of the contact angles. The centrifugal force and the gyroscopic moment increase with the increase in the rotational speed, resulting in the decrease of the inner raceway contact load and the increase of the outer raceway contact load. The outer raceway contact angle increases under the centrifugal force; on the contrary, the inner raceway contact angle decreases. Furthermore, the differences between the inner and the outer contact angles increase with the increase in the rotational speed. The higher rotational speed results in the decrease in radial stiffness for the self-aligning ball bearing, and the raceway curvature coefficient, to some extent, also influences the radial stiffness.
An improved finite difference method （FDM）is described to solve existing problems such as low efficiency and poor convergence performance in the traditional method adopted to derive the pressure distribution of aerostatic bearings. A detailed theoretical analysis of the pressure distribution of the orifice-compensated aerostatic journal bearing is presented. The nonlinear dimensionless Reynolds equation of the aerostatic journal bearing is solved by the finite difference method. Based on the principle of flow equilibrium, a new iterative algorithm named the variable step size successive approximation method is presented to adjust the pressure at the orifice in the iterative process and enhance the efficiency and convergence performance of the algorithm. A general program is developed to analyze the pressure distribution of the aerostatic journal bearing by Matlab tool. The results show that the improved finite difference method is highly effective, reliable, stable, and convergent. Even when very thin gas film thicknesses （less than 2 Win）are considered, the improved calculation method still yields a result and converges fast.
