Advances in Oil Lubricated Plain Bearings for High Speed Applications

Oil lubricated tilting pad plain bearings are widely used in many pumps, fans and compressors. More demanding equipment duties have led in turn to significant advances in the performance capability of tilting pad bearings. This is manifested both in the form of enhanced standard ranges and in special designs which are regularly produced to satisfy ever more demanding customer specifications. This paper presents some of the results of recent work, in experimental research and in engineering design, chose to illustrate what is now possible. Reference is made to a number of specific designs which include the very large diameter, high speed fan bearings for the European wind tunnel currently being built in Cologne.

Introduction

One of the consitent trends in the development of all plant is the use of more onerous operating conditions as system designers seek to maximise the output from all items of rotating equipment. More demanding equipment duties impose, in turn, new demands on the bearings used to support the shaft and absorb axial and radial loads. Oil lubricated, tilting pad, thrust and journal bearings have been an important design option for the greater part of this century and their use is common in a wide variety of equipment including many pumps, fans and compressors. In recent years, the performance capabilities and cost effectiveness of a fluid film bearings have been extended by combination of enhanced theoretical understanding, experimental work and innovative engineering design.

The purpose of this paper is to present some of the relevant results from current tilting pad bearing research and design development in order to give a greater appreciation of the considerable potential now available. In the sections which follow horizonal and vertical shaft systems are considered separately. Examples of experimental and operating data are given where appropiate and reference made to a number of specific bearings designed to satisfy particular extreme requirements.