Thrust Load Research Articles

Оцінка характеристик закапотованого гвинтовентилятора ТРДД з надвисоким сту-пенем двоконтурності

In many respects, the efficiency and economy of the aircraft are determined by the parameters and characteristics of the power plant. The analysis of trends in the world engine building shows that an increase in the bypass ratio can significantly increase the efficiency of engines. One of the possible technical solutions to ensure the high performance of the perspective engines with an ultra-high bypass ratio is the use of a ducted propeller or propfan. This solution allows you to reduce acoustic radiation. In addition, the main advantage of the ducted propfans is a certain increase in thrust for the same consumed power. When flowing around a ducted propfan, a significant suction force arises on the nose of the profiled ring, the projection of which on the direction of movement provides a positive thrust of the ring. The presence of a duct also leads to a decrease in the final loss of the propeller, which, in turn, leads to an increase in the efficiency of the engine. Ducted and unducted propfans with the same blade row are investigated to assess the characteristics of a ducted propfan. The researches were carried out by the method of numerical experiment. The object of the research is a propfan with an inlet diameter of 2.924 m and the number of blades of 14 for a turbofan engine with a bypass ratio of m = 30. To research the propfan characteristics, a cruising mode of operation was selected in the range of revolutions n = 1500 ... 1650 rpm. with Mach numbers at the input from M = 0.54 to M = 0.8. In this work, the calculation did not take into account the resistance force of the duct. For a qualitative assessment of the flow in the propfan, visualization of the flow lines in the ducted and unducted propfan was obtained. The analysis of the research results showed that for all modes of operation the ducted propfan has a thrust force higher than the unducted propfan. The increase in thrust load reaches 71 ... 76 %. Visualization of the flow lines when flowing around a ducted and unducted propfan showed that the presence of a duct improves the internal aerodynamics of the propfan.

Geological and seismic evidence for the tectonic evolution of the NE Oman continental margin and Gulf of Oman

AbstractLate Cretaceous obduction of the Semail ophiolite and underlying thrust sheets of Neo-Tethyan oceanic sediments onto the submerged continental margin of Oman involved thin-skinned SW-vergent thrusting above a thick Guadalupian–Cenomanian shelf-carbonate sequence. A flexural foreland basin (Muti and Aruma Basin) developed due to the thrust loading. Newly available seismic reflection data, tied to wells in the Gulf of Oman, suggest indirectly that the trailing edge of the Semail Ophiolite is not rooted in the Gulf of Oman crust but is truncated by an ENE-dipping extensional fault parallel to the coastline. This fault is inferred to separate the Semail ophiolite to the SW from in situ oceanic Gulf of Oman crust to the NE. It forms the basin margin to a “hinterland” basin formed atop the Gulf of Oman crust, in which 5 km of Late Cretaceous deep-water mudstones accumulated together with 4 km of Miocene and younger deep-water mudstones and sandstones. Syndepositional folding included Paleocene–Eocene folds on N-S axes, and Paleocene to Oligocene growth faults with roll-over anticlines, along the basin flank. Pliocene compression formed, or tightened, box folds whose axes parallel the modern coast with local south-vergent thrusts and reversal of the growth faults. This Pliocene compression resulted in large-scale buckling of the Cenozoic section, truncated above by an intra-Pliocene unconformity. A spectacular 60-km-long, Eocene(?) to Recent, low-angle, extensional, gravitational fault, down-throws the upper basin fill to the north. The inferred basement of the hinterland basin is in situ Late Cretaceous oceanic lithosphere that is subducting northwards beneath the Makran accretionary prism.

Advances in Wind Farm Layout Optimization: Wind Direction Robustness and Wake Induced Asymmetric Thrust Load

In this study, we address the wind farm layout optimization (WFLO) problem and tackle the issue of optimal turbine placement by incorporating additional aspects of an economically driven target function. Firstly, we have analyzed the effect of wind direction on a given turbine arrangement. Based on the direction-dependent wake pattern, practitioners sometimes shut down certain turbines on their farms. Our method computes which turbines should be shut down in which wake situation. On this basis, we have developed a method of finding new turbine setups that rarely require shutdowns and are, in a certain sense, “robust” against changes to the wind direction. Secondly, we have presented a partial coverage Jensen wake model in three-dimensional space and have provided the tools for reducing or avoiding wake-induced asymmetric thrust on the rotor disc of the turbine, which leads to reduced energy yield and accelerated wear. This aspect can also be used for finding new turbine setups that take partial coverage into account and avoid it if necessary. Overall, the application of the refinements suggested in this study will result in an increased yearly profit achieved from the produced energy in a wind farm. This is an aspect that decision-makers, such as farm planners/operators, might depend on in a market that typically possesses narrow profit margins. Our methods find entrance into the open-source research framework that comes as the package wflo for the statistical software R.

Dynamic analysis of two-rotor wind turbine on spar-type floating platform

The dynamic response of a two-rotor wind turbine mounted on a spar-type floating platform is studied. The response is compared against the baseline OC3 single-rotor design. Structural design shows how the two-rotor design may lead to a mass saving of about 26% with respect to an equivalent single-rotor configuration. Simulations predict significant platform yaw response of the two-rotor floating wind turbine — about 6 deg standard deviation at the rated operating wind speed. It is shown how the platform yaw response is directly caused by the turbulence intensity at the hub coupled with the transversal distribution of thrust loads on the structure. A coupled control strategy for the rotor-collective blade pitch controller is proposed, in which a simple proportional control mitigating platform yaw motion is superimposed to the baseline OC3 PI controller. Numerical simulations show how platform yaw response is reduced by about 60%, at the cost of mean power loss at below-rated wind speeds of about 100 kW and maximum increase of the rotor-collective blade-pitch angles standard deviation of about 2 deg. Parametric analysis of mooring lines design shows how an equivalent mass density of the line of at least 190 kg/m is needed to avoid vertical loads at the anchors.

Attenuation of the Tip-Clearance Flow in a Pump-Jet Propulsor by Thickening and Raking the Tips of Rotor Blades: A Numerical Study

Cavitation inception and radiated noise of the pump-jet propulsor are closely related to the strength of vortical flows existing in the clearance between rotor-blade tips and duct surface, which is ultimately determined by blade geometry close to the tip. A method is proposed for weakening the tip-clearance flow in pump-jet propulsors by increasing section thickness and rake of rotor blades from 95% tip-radius to the tip. The impacts of the proposed tip-modification method are investigated via numerical simulations by solving the Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes equations with the SST k-ω turbulence model. When the rotor-tip geometry is modified reasonably, the open-water performance of the pump-jet propulsor is barely influenced, though the efficiency of rotor decreases due to the reduction in thrust loading and lift-to-drag ratio close to the tip. Due to rotor/stator interactions, the thrust and torque of a rotor blade as well as pressures at the core of tip-leakage vortex (TLV) fluctuate at multiples of rotor shaft frequency times stator blade number. When the rotor tips are modified, the fluctuation amplitudes of thrust and torque are reduced by more than 35%, the formation of TLV is delayed, the strength of TLV is weakened, and the pressure fluctuation amplitudes at TLV core are almost reduced by 50% at dominating frequencies.

A method for preliminary rotor design – Part 1: Radially Independent Actuator Disc model

Abstract. We present an analytical model for assessing the aerodynamic performance of a wind turbine rotor through a different parametrization of the classical blade element momentum (BEM) model. The model is named the Radially Independent Actuator Disc (RIAD) model, and it establishes an analytical relationship between the local thrust loading and the local power, known as the local-thrust coefficient and the local-power coefficient respectively. The model has a direct physical interpretation, showing the contribution for each of the three losses: wake rotation loss, tip loss and viscous loss. The gradient for RIAD is found through the use of the complex step method, and power optimization is used to show how easily the method can be used for rotor optimization. The main benefit of RIAD is the ease with which it can be applied for rotor optimization and especially load constraint power optimization as described in Loenbaek et al. (2021). The relationship between the RIAD input and the rotor chord and twist is established, and it is validated against a BEM solver.

Thermal Characteristics Study of the Bump Foil Thrust Gas Bearing

In this paper, a thermo-hydrodynamic model of the bump foil thrust gas bearing is developed, which solves the coupled gas film three-dimensional energy equation, non-isothermal Reynolds equation, and the foil deformation equation. The effects of bearing speed, thrust load, and external cooling gas on the bearing temperature field are calculated and analyzed. The test rig of foil thrust gas bearing was built to measure the bearing temperature under different working conditions. Both simulation and experiment results show that there exist temperature gradients on the top foil both in the circumferential and radial directions. The simulation results also shows that the top foil side of the gas film has the highest temperature value in the entire lubrication field, and the position of highest temperature moves radially inward on the thrust plate side as the rotor speed increases. The gas film temperature increases with the increasing rotor speed and bearing static load, and rotor speed has greater effects on the temperature variation. Cooling air flow passing through the bump foil is also considered in the simulations, and the cooling efficiency decreases as the mass of gas flow increases.

Additively Manufactured Compliant Hybrid Gas Thrust Bearing for Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Turbomachinery: Design and Proof of Concept Testing

Abstract The following paper presents a new type of gas lubricated thrust bearing that utilizes additive manufacturing or also known as direct metal laser melting (DMLM) to fabricate the bearing. The motivation for the new bearing concept is derived from the need for highly efficient supercritical carbon dioxide (sCO2) turbomachinery in the mega-watt power range. The paper provides a review of existing gas thrust-bearing technology, outlines the need for the new DMLM concept, and discusses proof-of-concept testing results. The new concept combines hydrostatic pressurization with individual tilting pads that are flexibly mounted using hermetic squeeze film dampers (HSFD) in the bearing-pad support. This paper describes the thrust-bearing concept and discusses the final design approach. Proof-of-concept testing in air for a 6.8 in. (173 mm) outer diameter thrust gas bearing was performed; with thrust loading, up to 1500 lbs (6.67 kN) and a thrust runner speed of 10krpm (91 m/s tip speed). The experiments were performed with a bent shaft resulting in thrust runner axial vibration magnitudes of 2.9 mils (74 μm) p-p and dynamic thrust loads of 270 lbs (1.2 kN) p-p. In addition, force deflection characteristics and stiffness coefficients of the bearing system are presented for an inlet hydrostatic pressure of 380 psi (2.62 MPa). Results at 10 krpm show that the pad support architecture was able to sustain high levels of dynamic misalignment equaling 6 times the nominal film clearance while demonstrating a unit load-carrying capacity of 55 psi (0.34 Mpa). Gas-film force deflection tests portrayed nonlinear behavior like a hardening spring, while the bearing pad support stiffness was measured to be linear and independent of gas film thickness.

Additively Manufactured Compliant Hybrid Gas Thrust Bearing for Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Turbomachinery: Experimental Evaluation and Fluid–Structure Model Predictions

Abstract This paper presents rotating test results and advances an analytical predictive fluid–structure model for a new type of gas-lubricated thrust bearing fabricated using direct metal laser melting. The bearing concept in this study is a compliant hybrid gas thrust bearing that uses external pressurization to increase load carrying capacity, where the testing campaign in this study was only focused on steady-state static performance. The need for the bearing concept comes from enabling highly efficient supercritical carbon dioxide (sCO2) turbomachinery by replacing oil-lubricated bearings with process gas lubrication. Leveraging the process gas of the turbomachine for bearing lubrication results in lowered bearing power loss, simplified mechanical design, and allows for novel oil-free hermetic drivetrains resulting in an efficient emission-free system. The new concept utilizes hydrostatic pressurization on individual tilting pads flexibly mounted with hermetic squeeze film dampers (HSFDs). This paper focuses on rotating tests of a 173 mm outer diameter gas thrust bearing in air up to 10 krpm and hydrostatic inlet pressures to 365 psi (2.52 MPa). The influence of thrust runner speed and bearing inlet pressure on force deflection characteristics and load carrying capability of the gas film were experimentally evaluated. This work also advances a predictive fluid–structure thrust bearing model using an isothermal ideal-gas-based compressible Reynolds flow equation directly coupled to a lumped stiffness element possessing axial and rotational degrees-of-freedom. The rotating testing demonstrated load capability of 1816 lbs (8.1 kN), which equates to a thrust bearing unit load of 67 psi (0.46 MPa). Gas film force–deflection curves reveal a nonlinear relationship between thrust load and film clearance. Comparison of film thickness values with the predictive model show good agreement under high load and inlet pressure, however deviate as load and pressure decrease. Load capability was shown to increase with increasing hydrostatic inlet pressure, while the increase in thrust runner speed revealed a small decrease in load capacity.

Mechanical Behavior of Ultrahigh-Performance Concrete Tunnel Lining Segments.

Ultrahigh-performance concrete (UHPC) is a novel material demonstrating superior mechanical, durability and sustainability performance. However, its implementation in massive structures is hampered by its high initial cost and the lack of stakeholders’ confidence, especially in developing countries. Therefore, the present study explores, for the first time, a novel application of UHPC, incorporating hybrid steel fibers in precast tunnel lining segments. Reduced scale curved tunnel lining segments were cast using UHPC incorporating hybrid 8 mm and 16 mm steel fibers at dosages of 1%, 2% and 3% by mixture volume. Flexural and thrust load tests were conducted to investigate the mechanical behavior of UHPC tunnel lining segments thus produced. It was observed that the flow of UHPC mixtures decreased due to steel fibers addition, yet steel fibers increased the mechanical and durability properties. Flexural tests on lining segments showed that both the strain hardening (multiple cracking) and strain softening (post-peak behavior) phases were enhanced due to hybrid addition of steel fibers in comparison with the control segments without fibers. Specimens incorporating 3% of hybrid steel fibers achieved 57% increase in ultimate load carrying capacity and exhibited multiple cracking patterns compared to that of identical UHPC segments with 1% fibers. Moreover, segments without fibers incurred excessive cracking and spalling of concrete at the base under the thrust load test. However, more stable behavior was observed for segments incorporating steel fibers under the thrust load, indicating its capability to resist typical thrust loads during tunnel lining field installation. This study highlights the potential use of UHPC with hybrid steel fibers for improved structural behavior. Moreover, the use of UHPC allows producing structural members with reduced cross-sectional dimensions, leading to reduced overall structural weight and increased clear space.

Heat generation of ball bearing for rocket-engine turbopump in low-temperature gas hydrogen

Cryogenic fluid such as liquid hydrogen, liquid oxygen, and liquid methane is used for rocket propellant because of their performance. Cryogenic fluid turbopump equipped in rocket-engine is started to rotate after precooling bearings is completed. The ball bearing used for the turbopump have worse lubricating performance because the lubricant is not liquid material such as oil which coagulate at cryogenic temperature but solid material. Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) is used for the lubricant in Japanese rocket engines [1]. One of the glass transition temperature of PTFE is around 100 K, and it is considered that the strength of PTFE become weak discontinuously above 100 K and poor lubrication problem would occur in bearings. Ball bearings for turbopump which need to perform high stiffness at high rotation speed don’t meet the performance suddenly when they have any slight damages. Therefore, bearings should be precooled before the engine start so that poor lubrication problems would not occur. However, there is little knowledge of the ball bearing performance in the environment of gas coolant. If ball bearings for turbopumps have good performance in the environment, turbopump can be started to rotate under the insufficient precool environment. It contributes reduction of time and propellant for the precool, and improvement of rocket performance and diversification of space transportation mission are expected. In this study, bearing rotational tests in gas coolant are conducted in the several conditions of the rotational speed and the thrust load in order to clarify the bearing performance for rocket engines in gas coolant.

Development of a steady-state microthrust measurement stand for microspacecrafts

A null-displacement thrust stand based on torsional pendulum configuration has been developed to characterize the steady-state microthrust for microspacecrafts. A pair of elastic transducers are applied to constrain the rotation of pendulum arm, so that the stand can maintain static with a small deflection under the loading thrust. The thrust can be obtained according to its linear relationship with the displacement difference with respect to the deflection, which can be detected by a laser displacement sensor. The thrust calibration is implemented via an electromagnetic coil collocated with a pair of permanent magnetic sheets. The repeatability, response time, position drift, noise, resolution and measuring range of the stand are analyzed. The stand features the resolution of 0.1 mN and the maximum available thrust of 2.7 N. Exhibiting the uncertainty less than 12.36%, both steady-state and throttleable thrusts produced by a laser-augmented combustion micromotor are characterized utilizing this stand.

Erosion Mapping of Through-Thickness Toughened Powder Epoxy Gradient Glass-Fiber-Reinforced Polymer (GFRP) Plates for Tidal Turbine Blades

Erosion of tidal turbine blades in the marine environment is a major material challenge due to the high thrust and torsional loading at the rotating surfaces, which limits the ability to harness energy from tidal sources. Polymer–matrix composites can exhibit leading-blade edge erosion due to marine flows containing salt and solid particles of sand. Anti-erosion coatings can be used for more ductility at the blade surface, but the discontinuity between the coating and the stiffer composite can be a site of failure. Therefore, it is desirable to have a polymer matrix with a gradient of toughness, with a tougher, more ductile polymer matrix at the blade surface, transitioning gradually to the high stiffness matrix needed to provide high composite mechanical properties. In this study, multiple powder epoxy systems were investigated, and two were selected to manufacture unidirectional glass-fiber-reinforced polymer (UD-GFRP) plates with different epoxy ratios at the surface and interior plies, leading to a toughening gradient within the plate. The gradient plates were then mechanically compared to their standard counterparts. Solid particle erosion testing was carried out at various test conditions and parameters on UD-GFRP specimens in a slurry environment. The experiments performed were based on a model of the UK marine environment for a typical tidal energy farm with respect to the concentration of saltwater and the size of solid particle erodent. The morphologies of the surfaces were examined by SEM. Erosion maps were generated based on the result showing significant differences for materials of different stiffness in such conditions.

Tolerances for TBM thrust load based on crack opening performance of fiber-reinforced precast tunnel segments

In the past twenty years, several precast tunnels were constructed using Fiber-Reinforced Concrete (FRC). Also, it has been reported that concrete segments experience damage during TBM operations due to factors as load eccentricity and uneven supports. Simulating in a laboratory such conditions together with interactions between elements, as in a field, is challenging. So numerical models can provide essential guidance for the design. Therefore, the current research presents a broad investigation considering three usual tunnel diameters, different number of TBM shoes by segments, shoe dimensions, and configurations (German and French). Also, FRC classes, determined according to the fib Model Code, are tested. It was found that the French distributions of shoes presented the best performance for all studied cases when compared to the German one. Tunnels with an internal diameter of Di = 6 m were the only ones sensitive to the increase from two to three shoes by segment. In the case of four pads, all tunnel diameters increased the load capacity. The FRC class change from 1.5a to 3a significantly enhanced the load capacity relative to the crack opening of tunnels with Di of 6 m and 10 m. For changing class from 1.5a to 4a, all tunnels had enhanced performance. For Di = 10 m, the increases in load capacity were 2.23, 2.18, and 2.60 for segments with 2, 3, and 4 shoes, respectively. Also, the best aspect ratios found for the shoes’ geometry are reported in the paper.

Seakeeping Tests of a FOWT in Wind and Waves: An Analysis of Dynamic Coupling Effects and Their Impact on the Predictions of Pitch Motion Response

The present work highlights some of the dynamic couplings observed in a series of tests performed in a wave basin with a scaled-model of a Floating Offshore Wind Turbine (FOWT) with semi-submersible substructure. The model was moored by means of a conventional chain catenary system and an actively controlled fan was used for emulating the thrust loads during the tests. A set of wave tests was performed for concomitant effects of not aligned wave and wind. The experimental measurements illustrate the main coupling effects involved and how they affect the FOWT motions in waves, especially when the floater presents a non-negligible tilt angle. In addition, a frequency domain numerical analysis was performed in order to evaluate its ability to capture these effects properly. The influence of different modes of fan response, floater trim angles (changeable with ballast compensation) and variations in the mooring stiffness with the offsets were investigated in the analysis. Results attest that significant changes in the FOWT responses may indeed arise from coupling effects, thus indicating that caution must be taken when simplifying the hydrodynamic frequency-domain models often used as a basis for the simulation of FOWTs in waves and in optimization procedures for the design of the floater and mooring lines.

Effect of Growth in Turbine Size on Rotor Aerodynamic Performance of Modern Commercial Large-Scale Wind Turbines

In this study, the impact of growth in turbine size on aerodynamic rotor performance of modern commercial large-scale wind turbines was investigated. For this examination, three different commercial large-scale wind turbines of models VESTAS V80-2MW, V90-3MW, and V126-3.3MW operating on three existing onshore wind farms were selected. In order to determine the effects of turbine size growth on aerodynamic rotor performance, turbine power output P, turbine power coefficient, Cp, turbine rotational speed, Ω, thrust force, T, tip speed ratio, λ, and flow angle, ϕ, values obtained from these turbines were compared at the same magnitude of free-stream wind speeds, U∞. The results reveal that decreasing specific power decreases the rated output wind speed of the wind turbines; hence, the reduction in the rated output of wind speed contributes to the tendency of higher power capacity. Moreover, it was determined that the enlargement in the turbine size has a profound influence on the parameters that affect the performance of the turbine such as rotational speed, Ω, thrust force, T, tip-speed ratio, λ, and flow angle, ϕ. For instance, higher thrust loads and tip-speed ratios were acquired for the turbines having a larger rotor diameter which results in better aerodynamic efficiency of the turbine.

Application of Threadless Screw to Precise Linear Positioning

This paper presents a mechanism for linear movement which could be called threadless screw, in which a roller is pushed toward a rotating plain shaft and rotates with it. The roller moves on a helical path when its axis is not parallel to the axis of the shaft. Therefore, the roller moves in direction of the shaft axis, just as linear movement of a nut on a screw. The lead of this mechanism is not only a function of diameter of the shaft, but also the angle between axes of the roller and the shaft which gives the possibility to change the lead continuously from very fine to very rough leads. On the other hand the accuracy of this mechanism depends on the accuracy of a plain cylindrical surface which can be fabricated very accurately compared with the threads of a screw. Two configurations of this mechanism were designed and fabricated to verify the idea. Coarse and fine positioning speeds are 10 and 0.1 mm/sec over an effective range of 200 mm, respectively. The experimental results show that the fast positioning over wide range of movement with resolution of 10 nm is possible by this mechanism. Further investigation shows that applying thrust loads have considerable effect on the lead of the mechanism.

Analysis on the thrust bearing lubrication in pumped storage unit based on fluid-solid-thermal interactions

The bidirectional thrust bearings are used to balance the thrust load of the entire shaft system which play an important role in the pumped storage units. The lubrication is usually analyzed by simultaneously solving the Reynolds equation, energy equation, film thickness equation of the film and the heat conduction equation, elastic equilibrium equation of the pad. However, in this method the assumptions for the inlet temperature of the film and the wall heat coefficients on the pad greatly affect the numerical accuracy. This study used fluid-solid-thermal interaction method, built three dimensional (3D) FEM model for the pad and collar and the 3D CFD model for the oil film, and then analyzed the influence of the thrust loads and the Babbitt layer on the bearing performance. The results show that increasing the thrust load will rapidly decrease the minimum film thickness, increase the maximum pressure and maximum temperature on the pad. Increasing the thickness of the Babbitt layer on the pad sliding surface will increase the minimum thickness of the film, decrease the maximum temperature on the pad which improve the bearing lubrication.

Comparative evaluation of machining processes for making holes in GLARE fiber metal laminates

Drilling is widely used in manufacturing industries for making holes in a variety of components. However, dissimilar material properties of fiber material laminates (FML) makes hole processing a challenge. Also, high thrust load damages the material thereby affecting the hole surface quality and dimensional accuracy. This work evaluates the conventional drilling and newer helical milling process for making holes in glass laminate aluminum reinforced epoxy (GLARE) FML. The processes were analyzed considering the machining forces, surface roughness, hole diameter, and machining temperature. Magnitude of the machining forces and temperature were lower in case of helical milling process and the surface finish was found to be better when the helical hole milling process was used. Hole drilling process resulted in the generation of long continuous chips which frequently entangled around the drill bit while the use of helical hole milling process resulted in the production of powdery discontinuous chips which helped in easy evacuation. In addition, the formation of burrs was noted during the drilling process while hole milling resulted in relatively burr-free holes.

An improved energy prediction method to predict the fatigue life of laminated rubber-alloy spherical thrust elastomeric bearing under multiaxial loads

PurposeAn ideal method for predicting the fatigue life of spherical thrust elastomeric bearings has not been reported, thus far. This paper aims to present a method for predicting the fatigue life of laminated rubber spherical thrust elastomeric bearings.Design/methodology/approachFirst, the mechanical properties of standard rubber samples were tested; the axial stiffness, cocking stiffness, torsional stiffness and fatigue life of several full-size spherical thrust elastomeric bearings were tested. Then, the stiffness results were calculated using the neo-Hookean, Mooney–Rivlin and Yoeh models. Using a modified Mooney–Rivlin constitutive model, this paper proposes an improved method for fatigue life prediction, which considers the laminated characteristics of a spherical thrust elastomeric bearing and loads of multiple multi-axle conditions.FindingsThe Mooney–Rivlin model could accurately describe the stiffness characteristics of the spherical thrust elastomeric bearings. A comparative analysis of experimental results shows that the model can effectively predict the life of a spherical thrust elastomeric bearing within its range of use and the prediction error is within 20%.Originality/valueThe fatigue parameters of elastomeric bearings under multiaxial loads were fitted and corrected using experimental data and an accurate and effective multiaxial fatigue-life prediction expression was obtained. Finally, the software was redeveloped to improve the flexibility and efficiency of modeling and calculation.