Tilting Pad Thrust Bearings Research Articles

Experimental study on scaled-down pads for nuclear main pump thrust bearing

The lubrication performance of thrust bearings is essential for the efficient, economical, and safe operation of nuclear main pumps. In this paper, a test system for scaled-down tilting pad thrust bearings was designed and built, and the feasibility of the scaled-down scheme was verified. The test results show that: with the increase of loading force, the pressure and temperature at different measurement points gradually increase. The influence of lubricant temperature on oil film pressure under the same loading force is small. During the rotor start process, the oil film pressure shows a trend of first increasing and then gradually stabilizing, and the temperature of each pad center gradually increases. During the rotor stop process, the oil film pressure initially increases slightly and then drops sharply with the reduction of speed, while the temperature at the center of the pad gradually decreases and the rate of decrease gradually increases.

Research on the lubrication performance of circular tilting pad thrust bearings for large wind turbines

AbstractIn view of the large temperature rise and impact load of thrust bearings in the main shaft system of large wind turbines, this article takes the circular tilting pad thrust bearings in large wind turbines as the research object, and analyses the basic theory of bearing lubrication. The lubrication performance calculation model established for this bearing includes the Reynolds equation, energy equation, film thickness equation, and elastic deformation equation. Theoretically analysing and calculating the lubrication performance of the circular tilting pad thrust bearing, the key performance parameters have identified such as minimum film thickness (hmin), temperature rise (ΔT), power consumption (W), and flow rate (Q). The calculation results show that the eccentricity ratio has a significant impact on the lubrication performance of the circular tilting pad thrust bearing. When both radial and circumferential eccentricity ratios are around 0.5, the bearing exhibits a high temperature rise, leading to a potential risk of bearing burnout. The results also show that at a radial eccentricity ratio of approximately 0.54, the minimum film thickness reaches its maximum value of 10.34 μm. Similarly, at a circumferential eccentricity ratio of about 0.60, the minimum film thickness reaches its peak value of 21.89 μm. This indicates that the eccentricity ratio plays a crucial role in the lubrication performance. In addition, the lubrication performance of the bearing under varying loads has been calculated at a speed of 9.5 r/min. The results demonstrated that the applied load significantly impacts the thrust bearing's performance. The findings elucidate the critical role of considering the eccentricity ratio and operational external load during the bearing design process. This study validates the potential of replacing rolling bearings with sliding bearings in wind turbine main shafts. It also provides a theoretical reference for the future design of sliding bearings.

Experimental study on the feasibility of alternative materials for tilting pad thrust bearings operating in transition to mixed friction

In hydrodynamic bearings traditional bearing alloys: Babbitts and bronzes are most frequently utilized. Polymer sliding layers are sometimes applied as a valuable alternative. Hard diamond-like carbon (DLC) coatings, which are also considered for certain applications may show some advantages, as well. Although material selection is of secondary importance in a full film lubrication regime it becomes important in mixed friction conditions, which is crucial for bearings with frequent starts and stops. Experimental research aimed at studying the performance of fluid film bearings in the specific operating regime, including the transition to mixed friction, is described in the paper. The tests were carried out on four tilting pad bearings of different material compositions: Steel/bronze, DLC/steel, steel/polyether ether ketone (PEEK), and steel/Babbitt. The tests comprised stopping under load and reproduction of the Stribeck curve by decreasing rotational speed to very low values, and observing the changes of friction force during the transition to mixed friction regime. Analysis of the transition conditions and other results showed clear differences between the tested bearings, illustrating the feasibility of less popular material compositions for bearings operating in specific conditions. More specifically, the DLC/steel bearing was demonstrating superior performance, i.e. lower friction, transition to mixed friction occurring at higher load, and more stable performance at start-stop regime over the other tested bearings.

Performance analysis of tilting pad thrust bearing incorporating the surface roughness, texture and turbulence effect

In order to improve the lubrication performance of the friction pair, the effect of composite micro-texture on the lubrication performance of the tilting pad thrust bearing is studied. Based on the structural model of tilting pad thrust bearing considering composite micro-texture, the lubrication characteristics of thrust bearing with composite micro-texture parameters and tilting pad parameters are analyzed. At the same time, the theoretical model of tilting pad composite micro-texture bearing considering roughness and turbulence effect is established, and the performance of thrust bearing considering roughness and turbulence effect is studied. The results show that the performance of composite micro-textured bearings is better than that of single micro-textured bearings, the performance of tilting pad bearings is better than that of parallel pad bearings, and the performance of circular composite fish-shaped micro-textured tilting pad bearings is the best. The optimal bearing fulcrum position is near the inner diameter, and the optimal fulcrum circumferential inclination angle is about 27.5°. Considering the roughness and turbulence effect, the maximum pressure and bearing capacity of the bearing improves, and the friction coefficient significantly reduces.

A Thermal Hydrodynamic Model for Emulsified Oil-Lubricated Tilting-Pad Thrust Bearings

On maritime vessels, external factors such as explosions, collisions, and grounding can cause the emulsification of lubricating oil by seawater pollution, which can affect the lubrication of a ship’s thrust bearing. To explore the influence of the mixed emulsification of lubricating oil and seawater on the lubrication performance of thrust bearings, this study conducted an emulsification experiment, from which the viscosity equation of the oil–water mixture was obtained. A thermal hydrodynamic model (THD) of bearings considering oil–water mixed emulsification was established, and the Finite Difference Method (FDM) was used for analysis. The results show that according to the characteristics of the manifold, the mixture is divided into water-in-oil (W/O) and oil-in-water (O/W). In the W/O flow with higher viscosity, the film thickness becomes higher, but the power loss increases. In the O/W manifold with low viscosity, the thin film easily causes mixed friction. In the demulsification stage of the mixed liquid, the thickness loss of the film is huge, and the collision between the thrust-bearing pad and the inference plate may cause the pad to be ablated. The influence of specific heat capacity on temperature is greater than the temperature rise caused by viscosity.

Dynamic Behavior of a Tilting-Pad Thrust Bearing Operating Under a Hybrid Lubrication Regime

Abstract The present contribution aims to evaluate the effects of the oil pressure injection on the dynamic behavior of a hybrid-lubricated tilting-pad thrust bearing. First, a thermohydrodynamic model is applied to determine the equilibrium position as dictated by pressure and temperature distributions resulting from both hydrodynamic and hybrid lubrication regimes. Subsequently, the perturbation and frequency reduction methods are applied to determine the stiffness and damping coefficients of the bearing for various operational conditions. The results show that the dynamic force coefficients are strongly dependent on the operational conditions of the bearing, such as static load and rotating speed, as well as the perturbation frequency, for both lubrication regimes. The quantification of the injection pressure influence on the force coefficients of hybrid-lubricated thrust bearings is the main original contribution of this work.

A Mixed Lubrication Deterministic Model of an Elastic Support Water-Lubricated Tilting Pad Thrust Bearing

In order to study the effect of surface roughness on lubrication performance of an elastic support water-lubricated tilting pad thrust bearing, a mixed lubrication (ML) deterministic model is hereby presented based on a unified Reynolds equation model. This very model incorporates the elastic–plastic deformation of asperities and polymer matrix of the thrust pad, as well as the elastic deformation of the rubber support. The randomly distributed surface roughness of the thrust pad is generated by a mathematical model and shares the same distribution characteristics as the measured surface roughness. The Greenwood and Williamson asperity contact model and thin plate deformation model are combined to solve the asperities contact stress and deformation. Meanwhile, the bearing ML performance is compared with the results calculated by a thermohydrodynamic (THD) lubrication model and a thermo-elasto-hydrodynamic (TEHD) lubrication model, while the film thickness is also compared with measurements. The results show that the water film thickness calculated by the ML model is smaller than that by the THD model and the TEHD model, but the water film temperature is higher. The roughness has a great influence on the contact area ratio and the lubrication state, but little effect on the average film thickness. A higher roughness indicates a higher rotational speed required for the bearing to achieve full hydrodynamic lubrication. The film thickness calculated by the mixed lubrication model is closer to the measured results. Overall, it is proved that the mixed lubrication model can more accurately predict the lubrication performance of bearings. Compared to the thin plate deformation model, the elastic deformation simulation based on the half-infinite space model severely overestimates the elastic deformation of the pad surface, making it unsuitable for calculating the elastic deformation of the polymer matrix of the thrust pad under contact force or water film pressure. This ML deterministic model provides an effective means for high-precision prediction of the lubrication performance of the elastic supported water-lubricated thrust bearings coupled with multi-layer soft materials.

The effect of misalignment on the performance of tilting pad thrust bearing with TEHD coupling model and turbulence model

A thermoelastohydrodynamic (TEHD) coupling model is developed to study the static performance of a heavy-duty tilting pad thrust bearing (TPTB) under the effect of axis misalignment. To ensure the validity in calculating thermoelastic deformation, the calculation accuracy of the mechanical and thermal deformations used in the TEHD model is verified by the finite element method (FEM). The influence of the TEHD model on the flow state prediction is determined using different axial loads, and the numerical analysis of turbulence model and centrifugal inertia term on the bearing pad temperature is conducted at various operating rotation speeds. Compared with the aligned bearing performance, the characteristic distribution of each bearing pad under different misaligned angles is obtained. The effect of misalignment will cause local overheating of the thrust-bearing pads, especially for the heavy-duty TPTD. The results of this study can help to improve the prediction accuracy of heavy-duty TPTB characteristics and avoid harmful misalignment effects. Therefore, it is necessary to consider the effects of misalignment, turbulence, and thermoelastic deformation in the design and analysis of thrust bearings.

Study on transient performance of tilting-pad thrust bearings in nuclear pump considering fluid-structure interaction

To study the lubrication performance of tilting-pad thrust bearing (TPTBs) during start-up in nuclear pump, a hydrodynamic lubrication model of TPTBs was established based on the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) method and the fluid-structure interaction (FSI) technique. Further, a mesh motion algorithm for the transient calculation of thrust bearings was developed based on the user defined function (UDF).The result demonstrated that minimum film thickness increases first and then decreases with the rotational speed under start-up condition. The influence of pad tilt on minimum film thickness is greater than that of collar movement at low speed, and the establishment of dynamic pressure mainly depends on pad tilt and minimum film thickness increases. As the increase of rotational speed, the influence of pad tilt was abated, where the influence of the moving of the collar dominated gradually, and minimum film thickness decreases. For TPTBs, the circumferential angle of the pad is always greater than the radial angle. When the rotational speed is constant, the change rate of radial angle is greater than that of circumferential angle with the increase of loading forces. This study can provide reference for improving bearing wear resistance.

Performance Prediction Model for Hydrodynamically Lubricated Tilting Pad Thrust Bearings Operating under Incomplete Oil Film with the Combination of Numerical and Machine-Learning Techniques

Pivoted pad thrust bearings are common machine elements used in rotating mechanisms in order to support axial loads. The hydrodynamic lubrication of such bearings has been a major subject of many investigations over the years. However, the majority of these investigations are based on full film lubrication models, when, in fact, incomplete oil film profiles appear during various operating conditions, such as startups and shutdowns. The lack of lubricant during operations can have severe impact on the bearing’s performance, affecting its ability to carry the applied axial load. The scope of the current investigation is to combine numerical analysis and machine-learning techniques in order to create a model that predicts the thrust bearing’s performance in terms of the pad’s load-carrying capacity. For this purpose, the 2-D Reynolds equation is solved numerically for a variety of angular velocities and three different lubricants: SAE 20, SAE 30 and SAE 10W40. The position of the lack of lubricant within the oil film’s control volume is studied and evaluated, together with the percentage of oil film coverage in the inlet of the pad. The results of the numerical analysis are used as input, in order to train and evaluate three different machine-learning models: Quadratic Polynomial Regression, Quadratic SVM Regression and Regression Trees. The results showed that the position of the film incompleteness affects the ability of the bearing to carry the axial load. At the same time as less lubricant entered the domain, the pressure drop could reach lower values, up to 93%. From the studied lubricants, SAE 10W40 was the one that showed the best performance results during incomplete oil film operation. Finally, the Quadratic Polynomial Regression model showed the best fit and 99% accuracy in predicting the pad’s load-carrying capacity.

Nonlinear vibration phenomena in hydrodynamically supported rotor systems

It is a well-known fact, that hydrodynamically supported systems are prone to nonlinear vibrations. Their exact simulative prediction with respect to frequency and amplitude is complicated by the fact that different system properties interact. The paper at hand outlines an approach that takes all relevant influences like rigid body motions, elastic deformations, nonlinear relation between fluid film pressure and bearing kinematics as well as temperature increase due to power loss or adjacent heat sources into account as detailed as necessary. Both journal and thrust bearings are considered as they contribute to the system's stiffness and damping capabilities. The approach is applied to self-excited pad vibrations of tilting pad thrust bearings as well as the run-up simulation of a turbocharger rotor under different axial loads. Both models are validated against measurements.

Design of Hydrodynamically Lubricated a New Micro-pocketed Tilting Pad Thrust Bearing Based on Simulated Performance Parameters

Design of Hydrodynamically Lubricated a New Micro-pocketed Tilting Pad Thrust Bearing Based on Simulated Performance Parameters

Regional Characteristics and Control Method of the Mixing Flow Pattern for Water-Lubricated Tilting Pad Thrust Bearings

The water-lubricated tilting pad thrust bearings (WTTBs) of the reactor coolant main pump and high-power RDT operate at a large linear velocity, heavy load, and low viscosity. On the basis of the performance prediction of WTTBs in the mixing flow pattern, a hypothesis of the regional flow pattern is proposed. To compare the lubrication performance under four kinds of flow pattern modes, a thermo-elasto-hydrodynamic lubrication model of the WTTB considering the flow pattern is established, and a partition iteration algorithm for the mixing flow pattern is provided. Moreover, a method for controlling the flow pattern by changing the pad surface morphology is proposed. A simulation is used to indicate that the bearing performance under the mixing flow pattern calculated by the regional flow pattern mode is between that of the laminar and turbulent flows. The regional mixing flow pattern mode can automatically retrogress to the single flow pattern mode by changing the operation conditions. Both the circumferential bulge and radial concave pad surfaces are beneficial for increasing the turbulent area and thereby improving the load-carrying capacity of the WTTB.

CALCULATIONS OF TILTING-PAD THRUST BEARINGS

The application of thrust bearings in different engineering designs generates problems of thermal state, which generates the wear of the fixed or tilting pads of bearings. These problems can be avoided by means of proper methods and numerical algorithms of calculations of the bearing static characteristics, including the maximum oil film temperature. The knowledge of thermal state of bearings should assure safe, reliable, and durable bearing operation and is important for the designers of thrust bearings. This paper presents the results of calculations of some static characteristics of a tilting-pad thrust bearing, including its maximum oil film temperature. Numerical solution by means of finite differences was applied for the solution of geometry, Reynolds, energy, and viscosity equations. Adiabatic oil film laminar flow in the bearing gap was considered. The developed code of the computation of bearing performances creates a tool that leads to the solution of thermal problems. Different values of operating speeds were assumed.

Observer-Based Control of Tilting-Pad Thrust Bearings

The active control of hydrodynamic bearings is beginning to receive more attention in the pursuit of lower power losses and reduced maintenance. This paper presents a method by which, from simple measurements, rich information can be deduced from a running bearing that can used to modify the operating parameters of the unit. The bearing is a line-pivot, unidirectional, steadily loaded, directly lubricated tilting pad thrust bearing. This control is achieved by designing an Observer whose inputs include the output measurement(s) from the bearing. The Observer is, in some ways, an inverse model of the bearing (or Plant) that runs in parallel to the bearing and estimates the states of the bearing, such as the applied load, pivot height, minimum film thickness, maximum temperature, effective temperature and power loss. These estimated parameters can then be used in a control algorithm to modify bearing parameters such as inlet temperature or pivot location. It is demonstrated that disturbances in the load on the bearing can be detected simply by measuring a representative temperature in the bearing or changes in pivot height. Appropriate corrective action can then be employed. Whilst only steady-state operation is considered, the method could be developed to study time-varying situations.

A Model for Tilting Pad Thrust Bearings Operating With Reduced Flow Rate—Do Benefits Outweigh Risks?

Abstract The literature on tilting pad thrust bearings (TPTB) calls for flow reduction as an effective means to reduce drag power losses as well as oil pumping costs. However, the highest level of flow reduction a bearing can undergo while maintaining reliable operation is a key question that demands comprehensive analysis. This paper implements a model into an existing thermo-elasto-hydrodynamic (TEHD) computational analysis tool to deliver load performance predictions for TPTBs operating with reduced flow rates. For bearings supplied with either a reduced flow or an overflow conditions, a sound model for the flow and thermal energy mixing in a feed groove determines the temperature of the lubricant entering a thrust pad. Under a reduced flow condition, the analysis reduces the effective arc length of a wetted pad until matching the available flow. Predicted discharge flow temperature rise and pad subsurface temperature rise from the present model match measurements in the archival literature for an eight-pad bearing supplied with 150% to 25% of the nominal flow rate, i.e., the minimum flow that fully lubricates the bearing pads. A supply flow above nominal rate increases the bearing drag power because the lubricant enters a pad at a lower temperature, and yet has little effect on a thrust pad peak temperature rise or its minimum film thickness. A reduced flow below nominal produces areas lubricant starvation zones, and thus the minimum film thickness substantially decreases while the film and pad's surface temperature rapidly increase to produce significant thermal crowning of the pad surface. Compared to the bearing lubricated with a nominal rate, a starved flow bearing produces a larger axial stiffness and a lesser damping coefficient. A reduction in drag power with less lubricant supplied brings an immediate energy efficiency improvement to bearing operation. However, sustained long-term operation with overly warm pad temperatures could reduce the reliability of the mechanical element and its ultimate failure.

Influence of new surface micro-structures on the performance behaviours of fluid film tilting pad thrust bearings

Performance parameters such as power loss, minimum film thickness, and maximum oil temperature of the sector-shaped tilting pad thrust bearings employing the new micro-structural geometries on pad surfaces have been investigated. The lubrication equation incorporating the mass-conservation issue is discretized using the finite element method and the solution of resulting algebraic equations is obtained employing a Newton-Schur method. The pad equilibrium in the analysis is established using the Newton-Raphson and Braydon methods. The influence of attributes of micro-structures such as depth, circumferential and radial positioning extents have been explored on the performance behaviours. It is found that with the new micro-structured pad surfaces, the performance parameters significantly improved in comparison to conventional plain and conventional rectangular pocketed pads.

Kriging Approach Dedicated to Represent Hydrodynamic Bearings

Abstract The mathematical modeling of journal bearings has advanced significantly since the Reynolds equation was first proposed. Advances in the processing capacity of computers and numerical techniques led to multiphysical models that are able to describe the behavior of hydrodynamic bearings. However, many researchers prefer to apply simple models of these components in rotor-bearing analyses due to the computational effort that complex models require. Surrogate modeling techniques are statistical procedures that can be applied to represent complex models. In this work, Kriging models are formulated to substitute the thermohydrodynamic (THD) models of three different bearings found in a Francis hydropower unit, namely, a cylindrical journal (CJ) bearing, a tilting-pad journal (TPJ) bearing, and a tilting-pad thrust (TPT) bearing. The results determined by using the proposed approach reveal that Kriging models can be satisfactorily used as surrogate THD models of hydrodynamic bearings.

Optimal Designs of Tilting-Pad Thrust Bearing operation with the combination of numerical and machine learning techniques

Hydrodynamic thrust bearings are machine elements used in many rotating machinery in order to support axial loads. The investigation of the lubrication in such mechanisms using numerical analysis methods has been the major subject of many studies over the years. Furthermore, the evolution of technology in the last decade brought the concept of industry 4.0 and machine learning techniques have started to play important role in the operational optimization of such assemblies. The aim of this study is to examine optimal designs of tilting pad thrust bearings by combining numerical analysis and machine learning techniques.

Numerical Modelization of the Oil Film Pressure for a Hydrodynamic Tilting-Pad Thrust Bearing

This study analyses the hydrodynamic characteristic of the tilting pad thrust bearing. Research content is simultaneously solving the Reynolds equation, force equilibrium equation, and momentum equilibrium equations. Reynolds equation is solved by utilizing the finite element method with Galerkin weighted residual, thereby determines the pressure at each discrete node of the film. Force and momentums are integrated from pressure nodes by Gaussian integral. Finally, force and momentum equilibrium equations are solved using Newton-Raphson iterative to achieve film thickness and inclination angles of the pad at the equilibrium position. The results yielded the film thickness, the pressure distribution on the whole pad and different sections of the bearing respected to the radial direction. The high-pressure zone is located at the low film thickness zone and near the pivot location.