The effects of bearing distortion on the performance of hydrodynamic thrust bearings

Abstract

PurposeIn this work, the performance characteristics of thrust bearings are studied by taking into account bearing distortions.Design/methodology/approachThe pressure distribution in the bearing is found using Reynolds' equation. Reynolds' equation is solved under isothermal conditions by assuming oil viscosity constant. The amount of deformation in the bearing is determined using constitute equations applied to linear elastic materials. It is preferred to work with dimensionless equations for the result to be meaningful. The results of the finite differences method gives superior performance for analyzing the behavior of a bearing undergoing on elastic deformation. The amount of deformation which corresponds to a certain pressure and load carrying capability of the bearing after and before deformation are found and compared.FindingsThe comparison is carried out for steel‐steel and steel‐bronze material pairs. It is found that there is a decrease of 2.13 percent in the load carrying capacity of the bearing for the material pair of steel‐bronze. This decrease may be important for some applications.Originality/valueThe present investigation includes distortion of pads only. Distortion of runner is ignored since it is assumed to be rigid. This assumption may cause serious deviations in computing performance characteristics.