Hydrostatic Self-Regulating Multipad Journal and Integral Bearings

Abstract

Self-regulation flow was applied to multipad radial hydrostatic bearings. Prior developments focused on opposing pads in hydrostatic bearings. This multipad radial bearing is designed to have a high load capacity and stiffness at arbitrary rotational speeds. In this article, formulas are derived to predict bearing performance. A combined or in-series hydrostatic bearing, integrating both thrust and radial components and supplied by a single source, is detailed and found to maintain a high load capacity and stiffness. In particular, these bearings are adequate for large plants, from low-speed tube mills to high-speed and large turbine shafts. A 1-m2 footprint integral bearing could bear a radial of about a hundred tons and an axial load four times larger.