The Coulomb friction model for foil structure of bump foil journal bearing was developed by using finite element mothod. Through changing friction coefficient between top foil and bump foil, bump foil and bearing housing, the stiffness of foil strucure, the Coulomb friction model and linear spring model in earlier literatures were compared under various load distributions, and the effects of Coulomb friction on stiffness of bump foil was studied. The developed structural model was also integrated into foil bearing prediction code to evaluate the effects of the friction on the bearing static and dynamic performance.Copyright © 2014 by ASME