Experimental measurements of pressure distributions and force coefficients obtained from a squeeze film damper lest rig executing a circular centered orbit are presented. The test rig has been designed to study the effect of fluid inertia on the pressure field and dynamic force response on a damper configuration with a relatively large clearance. Past measurements of the squeeze film damper force characteristics have been carried out at squeeze film Reynolds numbers not exceeding a value equal to 10. In the present paper, following contemporary applications, operations at Reynolds numbers up to fifty are tested for CCO's with an orbit radius = 0.8 (Re ≤ 10 at ε = 0.5). The results obtained from a fully open ended damper are presented in detail. The effects of fluid inertia, cavitation and the open end geometry on the pressure distributions and force coefficients are discussed.Presented as a Society of Tribologists and Lubrication Engineers paper at the ASME/STLE Tribology Conference in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, October 8–10, 1990