The aim of this paper is to derive an equation for the temperature distribution in journal bearing oil film, in order to predict the thermal load of a bearing. This is very important for the prevention of critical regimes in a bearing operation. To achieve the goal, a partial differential equation of the temperature field was first derived, starting from the energy equation coupled with the Reynolds equation of hydrodynamic lubrication for a short bearing of symmetric geometry. Then, by solving the equation analytically, the function of temperature distribution in the bearing oil film has been obtained. The solution is applied to the journal bearing, for which the experimental data are available in the references. Finally, the obtained results have been compared to the corresponding experimental values for two operating regimes, and a good level of agreement was achieved.
