The evaluation of the influence of tilting on static performances of a novel elastohydrostatic thrust bearing

Abstract

In a previous body of work, the authors have studied theoretically and experimentally the effects of compliance in a novel elastohydrostatic (EHS) thrust bearing. It was observed that the results obtained during the experimental work performed on the bearing were higher than the ones predicted with a numerical application. It was supposed that the upper pad of the bearing is misaligned during its operation. Thus, the current paper targets to analyse the influence of tilting on static performances for the aforementioned bearing. In order to assess the effects of misalignment, a comparison between the experimental and numerical results obtained through a CFD (computational fluid dynamics) simulation was performed. The results were also compared with analytical ones found in the literature.