🔍 Key Concepts

• Journal bearing load distribution around the shaft (where is the maximum pressure zone?) • How oil film in a journal bearing supports the shaft and where that film must remain continuous • Effect of grooves on reducing effective bearing area and interrupting the hydrodynamic oil wedge

💭 Think About

• Visualize the shaft sitting in the bearing under load: which part of the bearing surface actually carries most of the load? • If a groove cuts into the bearing surface, what happens to the oil film and pressure at that location? Would you want that to occur where the load is highest? • Look at each option and ask: does this place the groove where the bearing is heavily loaded, or where the load is light and mainly used for oil supply/relief?

✅ Before You Answer

• Identify the region of maximum load in a typical horizontal journal bearing (top, sides, or bottom?). • Eliminate any option that places the grooves directly in the primary load-bearing area. • Confirm that the remaining choice(s) place the groove(s) where they can supply/relieve oil without significantly reducing the effective loaded area.