Combined thrust radial bearing of a submarine main shaft – Design and analysis of failure

Abstract

This paper presents an analysis of the combined thrust radial bearing of a submarine propulsion shaft. The lubrication system of the bearing is based on a fixed ring. The efficiency of the lubrication system depends on the shaft speed and temperature, which affects oil viscosity. In turn, the thrust bearing load also depends on the rotational speed of the shaft, because as the speed increases, the drag of the ship increases simultaneously, but this increase in load is accompanied by the increase of load capacity of the hydrodynamic thrust bearing. The analysis made it possible to assess the causes of bearing failure and formulate recommendations for bearing operation.