scholarly journals Numerical analysis and experimental research on load carrying capacity of water-lubricated tilting-pad thrust bearings

2018 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 201 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiuli Zhang ◽  
Gengyuan Gao ◽  
Zhongwei Yin ◽  
Yanzhen Wang ◽  
Chao Gao
Keyword(s):  
Film Thickness ◽  
Thrust Bearing ◽  
Hydrodynamic Lubrication ◽  
Optimization Method ◽  
Load Carrying Capacity ◽  
Thrust Bearings ◽  
Lubrication Regime ◽  
Tilting Pad ◽  
Load Carrying ◽  
Minimum Film Thickness

Water-lubricated bearings are expected to be widely used because of convenience, green, safe and energy saving. The purpose of this study is to investigate the load carrying property of water-lubricated tilting-pad thrust bearings. A large amount of numerical analyses are undertaken based on computational fluid dynamics and the optimization method of pivot location and the calculation method of minimum film thickness are summarized. A thrust bearing is designed according to the numerical results and is tested by experiments. The experimental results validate the numerical method and the minimum film thickness to surface roughness ratio corresponding to the change of bearing lubrication regime from mixed lubrication to hydrodynamic lubrication is obtained.

Increase of Operational Safety of Tilting-Pad Journal Bearings by Extraction of Hot Oil at the Trailing Edge

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sebastian Kukla ◽  
Nico Buchhorn ◽  
Beate Bender
Keyword(s):  
Film Thickness ◽  
Carrying Capacity ◽  
Maximum Temperature ◽  
Load Carrying Capacity ◽  
Trailing Edge ◽  
Tilting Pad ◽  
Load Carrying ◽  
Operational Safety ◽  
Minimum Film Thickness ◽  
Safety Parameters

A theoretical study is presented with the main objective on the operational safety parameters (minimum film thickness and maximum pad temperature) and thermomechanical deformations of a ø500 mm rocker pad tilting-pad journal bearing (TPJB) for application in large turbo machinery. It can be described by the following specifications: Five pads, 0.23 nominal preload, 60% offset, 56° pad arc angle, 350 mm pad length and 1.28‰ relative bearing clearance. Theoretical investigations are carried out for circumferential speeds up to 78 m/s and static loads up to 3.60 MPa. The simulation tool simultaneously solves both Reynolds and energy equations for the oil film (3D temperature distribution) on the one hand and computes thermomechanical deformations of the pad on the other hand. The simulations are conducted for a single pad and are supported by boundary conditions taken from experiments. The results with regard to static bearing characteristics and pad deformation show good agreement with experiments. The impact of axial pad arching on operational safety parameters and load-carrying capacity are shown and compared to experimental results. It is shown that the axial deviation in film thickness Δh can be even higher than the minimum film thickness hmin. This leads to reduced hydrodynamic pressure build-up towards the axial edges and therefore significantly decreased safety parameters or load-carrying capacity. In order to reduce pad crowning, radial bores through the pad body are modelled to simulate the extraction of hot oil from the trailing edge. In the simulation, the hot oil is used to heat up the back of the pad for a decrease of radial temperature gradients and thus pad arching. It is shown that by extracting 0.4 l/s of hot oil, a decrease in axial pad crowning from Δh = 47μm to Δh = 26μm can be achieved and that this leads to a decrease of 7.8 K in maximum temperature and an increase of 5 μm in minimum film thickness respectively a gain of load-carrying capacity of 0.4–0.6 MPa.

Paper 16: Tilting Pad Thrust Bearings: Rapid Design Aids

1969 ◽  
Vol 184 (12) ◽  
pp. 120-138 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. A. Martin
Keyword(s):  
Carrying Capacity ◽  
Thrust Bearing ◽  
Total Power ◽  
Load Carrying Capacity ◽  
Specific Load ◽  
Thrust Bearings ◽  
Size Number ◽  
Tilting Pad ◽  
Load Carrying ◽  
Chart Design

Two slide chart design aids are developed for tilting pad thrust bearings in order ( a) to give guidance on load-carrying capacity, considering such limits as allowable oil film thickness and maximum pad temperature, and ( b) to enable the designer to estimate directly the total power loss in double thrust bearing assemblies. These slide charts (each consisting of two sheets) enable variables such as pad size, number of pads, oil specification, specific load, and collar speed to be considered individually. Thus the designer has a tool from which he can obtain a ‘feel’ for bearing performance and see at a glance the interplay between all the variables.

Increased Load Carrying Capacity of Large Tilting-Pad Journal Bearings by Injection of Cold Oil

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nico Buchhorn ◽  
Sebastian Kukla ◽  
Beate Bender
Keyword(s):  
Film Thickness ◽  
Carrying Capacity ◽  
Load Capacity ◽  
Maximum Temperature ◽  
Load Carrying Capacity ◽  
Tilting Pad ◽  
Load Carrying ◽  
Minimum Film Thickness ◽  
Safety Parameters ◽  
The Impact

In this paper a theoretical study with the aim to achieve higher load capacity of large tilting-pad turbine bearings is presented. The main focus is set on the reduction of thermal gradients inside the pad and thus, of adverse thermomechanical deformations. This allows for the increase of either the load carrying capacity, minimum film thickness hmin, and/or decrease maximum pad temperature Tmax. Subject of the investigation is a 5-pad tilting-pad bearing with rocker pivots. Each pad arc measures 56° and the pivot is positioned at 60 %. By having a 500mm inner diameter the 350mm long bearing features a relative clearance of 1.28% and nominal preload of 0.23. It is shown that the axial pad bending Δh (crowning) has a major impact on film thickness and pressure distributions and thus on the operational safety parameters. In order to reduce this effect, radial bores through the pad supplying pressurized cold oil (Tinj = 50 °C) are simulated. Despite the evident increase in oil film pressure, the primary purpose of the injection is to rinse away the layer of hot oil sticking to the pad surface. The maximum pad temperature and the overall pad temperature gradients are thereby decreased. The code used for simulation solves Reynolds and energy equations and computes thermomechanical deformations simultaneously. However, the simulations are carried out for one single pad only and are therefore supported by boundary conditions taken from experiments. In order to determine the impact of the approach on the static bearing characteristics, diameter and location of the bores are varied (0.3mm ≤ db ≤ 0.5mm). It is shown that pad crowing can be reduced significantly: The axial deviation of the film thickness Δh can be decreased from Δh = 47 μm to Δh = 31 μm, while the maximum temperature Tmax can be decreased by 20 K. Further, the minimum film thickness hmin can be increased by 16 μm. Subsequently, allowing the same limits for hmin and Tmax for the new design, the load capacity can be raised by up to 1.21MPa ≙ 44 %.

On the Significance of the Inlet Pressure Build-Up in the Design of Tilting-Pad Bearings

1990 ◽  
Vol 112 (1) ◽  
pp. 17-22 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cz. M. Rodkiewicz ◽  
K. W. Kim ◽  
J. S. Kennedy
Keyword(s):  
Thrust Bearing ◽  
Ambient Pressure ◽  
Inlet Pressure ◽  
Load Carrying Capacity ◽  
Integral Theorem ◽  
Lubricating Film ◽  
Tilting Pad ◽  
Load Carrying ◽  
Momentum Integral ◽  
Entrance Pressure

An operating tilting-pad thrust bearing generates a fore-region which is responsible for maintaining, at the bearing entrance, a pressure which is higher than the ambient pressure. This entrance pressure, in the presented analysis, is obtained by applying to the fore-region the momentum integral theorem. The solution of the lubricating film region is then obtained by using this modified inlet pressure. This solution yields the pressure distribution, the load carrying capacity, the film ratio and the frictional force for several values of the modified Reynolds number and various pivot positions. The analysis shows that there is a significant influence of the fore-region pressure on the bearing performance and that to properly design efficient tilting-pad bearing this effect should be taken into consideration.

An Accurate Solution of the Gas Lubricated, Flat Sector Thrust Bearing

1977 ◽  
Vol 99 (1) ◽  
pp. 82-88 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. Etsion ◽  
D. P. Fleming
Keyword(s):  
Film Thickness ◽  
Thrust Bearing ◽  
Load Capacity ◽  
Thickness Distribution ◽  
Maximum Load ◽  
Accurate Solution ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Thrust Bearings ◽  
Practical Design ◽  
Minimum Film Thickness

A flat sector shaped pad geometry for gas lubricated thrust bearings is analyzed considering both pitch and roll angles of the pad and the true film thickness distribution. Maximum load capacity is achieved when the pad is tilted so as to create a uniform minimum film thickness along the pad trailing edge. Performance characteristics for various geometries and operating conditions of gas thrust bearings are presented in the form of design curves. A comparison is made with the rectangular slider approximation. It is found that this approximation is unsafe for practical design, since it always overestimates load capacity.

Density Variation Effects in Stepped-Thrust Bearings

1959 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 337-340
Author(s):  
C. F. Kettleborough
Keyword(s):  
Coefficient Of Friction ◽  
Carrying Capacity ◽  
Thrust Bearing ◽  
Density Variation ◽  
Load Carrying Capacity ◽  
Thrust Bearings ◽  
Load Carrying ◽  
The Coefficient Of Friction

Abstract The problem of the stepped-thrust bearing is considered but, whereas normally volumetric continuity is assumed, the equations are solved assuming mass continuity; i.e., the variation of density is also considered as well as the effect of the stepped discontinuity on the load-carrying capacity and the coefficient of friction. Computed theoretical curves illustrate the importance of the density on the operation of this bearing and, in part, explain results already published.

A Model for Tilting Pad Thrust Bearings Operating With Reduced Flow Rate – Do Benefits Outweigh Risks?

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rasool Koosha ◽  
Luis San Andrés
Keyword(s):  
Film Thickness ◽  
Flow Rate ◽  
Temperature Rise ◽  
Thrust Bearings ◽  
Flow Reduction ◽  
Tilting Pad ◽  
Minimum Film Thickness ◽  
Nominal Rate ◽  
Thrust Pad ◽  
Reduced Flow

Abstract The literature on tilting pad thrust bearings (TPTB) calls for flow reduction as an effective means to reduce drag power losses as well as oil pumping costs. However, the highest level of flow reduction a bearing can undergo while maintaining reliable operation is a key question that demands comprehensive analysis. This paper implements a model into an existing thermoelasto-hydrodynamic (TEHD) computational analysis tool to deliver load performance predictions for TPTBs operating with reduced flow rates. For bearings supplied with either a reduced flow or an over flow conditions, a sound model for the flow and thermal energy mixing in a feed groove determines the temperature of the lubricant entering a thrust pad. Under a reduced flow condition, the analysis reduces the effective arc length of a wetted pad until matching the available flow. Predicted discharge flow temperature rise and pad subsurface temperature rise from the present model match measurements in the archival literature for an eight-pad bearing supplied with 150% to 25% of the nominal flow rate, i.e., the minimum flow that fully lubricates the bearing pads. A supply flow above nominal rate increases the bearing drag power because the lubricant enters a pad at a lower temperature, and yet has little effect on a thrust pad peak temperature rise or its minimum film thickness. A reduced flow below nominal produces areas lubricant starvation zones, and thus the minimum film thickness substantially decreases while the film and pad’s surface temperature rapidly increase to produce significant thermal crowning of the pad surface. Compared to the bearing lubricated with a nominal rate, a starved flow bearing produces a larger axial stiffness and a lesser damping coefficient. A reduction in drag power with less lubricant supplied brings an immediate energy efficiency improvement to bearing operation. However, sustained long-term operation with overly warm pad temperatures could reduce the reliability of the mechanical element and its ultimate failure.

Flow Parameters in Hydrostatic Lubrication for Several Bearing Shapes

1960 ◽  
Vol 82 (2) ◽  
pp. 257-264 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Raynor ◽  
A. Charnes
Keyword(s):  
Conformal Mapping ◽  
Film Thickness ◽  
Flow Rate ◽  
Carrying Capacity ◽  
Load Carrying Capacity ◽  
Total Load ◽  
Thrust Bearings ◽  
Flow Parameters ◽  
Load Carrying ◽  
Mapping Techniques

In the case of hydrostatic lubrication the designer of thrust bearings has to make decisions regarding the shape of pads, location of oil holes, and configuration of oil grooves. In this paper several pad shapes and associated oil inlets were investigated using conformal mapping techniques to obtain the total load-carrying capacity, flow rate of oil, oil-film thickness, pressure and velocity distribution. The results of these calculations permit the designer to approximate his chosen configuration by computed models in order to estimate the flow parameters.

An Analytical Solution for the Normal Load Carrying Capacity of Lightly Loaded Cylinders in Combined Rolling, Sliding and Normal Motion

1981 ◽  
Vol 103 (3) ◽  
pp. 467-468 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. F. Conry
Keyword(s):  
Analytical Solution ◽  
Film Thickness ◽  
Exponential Function ◽  
Carrying Capacity ◽  
Normal Load ◽  
Load Capacity ◽  
Load Carrying Capacity ◽  
Load Carrying ◽  
Minimum Film Thickness

The analytical solution for the normal load carrying capacity of lightly loaded cylinders in combined rolling, sliding and normal motion is obtained. It is shown that the load capacity is inversely proportional to the dimensionless minimum film thickness. The results are presented graphically and approximated in the form of an exponential function.

Fluid Film Lubrication of Parallel Thrust Surfaces

1946 ◽  
Vol 155 (1) ◽  
pp. 49-67 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Fogg
Keyword(s):  
Thrust Bearing ◽  
Fluid Film ◽  
Load Carrying Capacity ◽  
Low Friction ◽  
Metallic Contact ◽  
Tilting Pad ◽  
Load Carrying ◽  
Parallel Surfaces ◽  
Film Lubrication ◽  
Fluid Film Lubrication

During the course of an investigation into the general characteristics of various types of thrust bearing, it has been shown that opposed parallel surfaces, under certain conditions of operation, have a load carrying capacity approaching that of tilting pad bearings of the Michell type and of the same bearing area. Considerable evidence has been obtained, such as the low friction losses, the dependence of coefficient of friction on viscosity, speed and load, and the apparent absence of metallic contact, which strongly indicates that these bearings operate under fluid film conditions. Their performance does not seem to depend on a rounded inlet edge, and the apparent establishment of fluid film conditions without the usually accepted requirement of convergence of the bearing surfaces is regarded as a new phenomenon in lubrication. A tentative theory on broad lines is suggested as an explanation of the behaviour.

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