Experiments were conducted with 1.5 inch diameter hydrodynamic journal bearings in liquid sodium at 500 and 800 F, speeds to 12,000 rpm and unit loads to 31 psi. The stability characteristics of five different geometries and the wear and seizure properties of several material combinations were investigated. Tilting pad bearings were most stable. Combinations of a cobalt alloy with nickel alloys or with a titanium carbide cermet showed the best wear and seizure properties.Presented as an American Society of Lubrication Engineers paper at the ASLE/ASME Lubrication Conference held in Chicago, Illinois, October 17–19, 1967.