Purpose <p>This work aims to reveal the stiffness and damping coefficients of rubber-plastic double-layer water-lubricated journal bearings under various working conditions, particularly heavy loads.</p> Method <p>A two-way fluid-structure interaction (FSI) numerical calculation method is proposed to calculate the dynamic coefficients. The finite difference method (FDM) is employed to solve the water film pressure and perturbation pressures based on the Reynolds equations, and the finite element method (FEM) is used to solve the bush deformation. The influences of operating conditions and structural parameters on the stiffness and damping coefficients of the rubber-plastic bearings are analyzed.</p> Results <p>Results indicate that the stiffness and damping coefficients of the rubber-plastic bearings lie between those of rubber and plastic bearings. As the eccentricity ratio increases from 0.4 to 0.9, the main stiffness coefficient kyy increases by approximately 50-fold, and the main damping coefficient cyy increases by approximately 20-fold. Rotational speed primarily influences the stiffness coefficients. For a given eccentricity ratio, the absolute values of the dynamic coefficients increase with increasing length-to-diameter ratio and decrease with increasing relative clearance. The elastic modulus and thickness of the plastic bush have a limited effect on the dynamic coefficients.</p> Conclusion <p>The calculation results provide theoretical guidance for determining stiffness and damping coefficients of the rubber-plastic double-layer water-lubricated bearings.</p>