Tilting Pad Bearings

Michell Bearings manufactures journal and thrust tilting pad bearings for use in a wide range of applications.

Tilting pad bearings are a type of fluid film bearing used in rotating machinery such as turbines, compressors and generators.

Our tilting pad bearings are used in a wide variety of applications and are designed to operate in the most demanding applications.

Tilting pad bearings can be manufactured with either a white metal (babbitt), polyether ether ketone (PEEK) or polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) lining, depending on which material is most suited to your application.

Tilting Pad Journal Bearings
Tilting pad journal bearings are made up of multiple curved segments, known as journal pads. Each journal pad is connected to a pivoting point where it can freely rotate of tilt. This tilting freedom allows for self-alignment of the pads, assisting lift and dynamic stability.

Our tilting pad journal bearings cover a shaft range of 40mm to 300mm in three standard length-to-diameter ratios of 0.4, 0.7 and 1.0. The standard configuration involves a steel housing which is supplied in halves. This provides seating for five journal pads, which are usually centre pivoted. The journal pads have a special bore profile to give a preload to the operating bearing.

Tilting Pad Thrust Bearings
Our tilting pad thrust bearings are manufactured with configurations to enable full rings or halves, designed specific to your application. Each bearing is built with a series of pads in a ring which are free to tilt, creating a self-sustaining hydrodynamic oil film. Various ranges of tilting pad thrust bearings are available with or without load self-equalisation levers.

Journal Bearings

Our standard journal bearing has a steel housing seating five uniquely designed centre-pivoted journal pads.

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Thrust Bearings

Our thrust bearings are simple, single-collar units, capable of carrying at least 20 times the load per square inch of a flat multi-collar thrust bearing.

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Our manufacturing sites in the UK and India are accredited to deliver consistent quality bearings, replicating the machining methods, CNC capability and cutting tool technology at both facilities.

Our total customer support model

We know that bearing failure is serious and downtime is expensive. That’s why maintenance and servicing is key. If the worst happens, speed of response is critical to ensure repair of existing parts or availability of replacement and spare parts.

Our global network and 24 hour manufacturing capability ensures Michell Bearings can react quickly and efficiently to the requirements of our customers. We have the in-house technical expertise to undertake virtually any white metal bearing repair, whether on an original Michell Bearings product or any other manufacturer’s product.

How we do it

Our dedicated service team, all highly trained engineers, travel all over the world to carry out both installation and routine service work in both the marine and industrial sectors.

Michell Bearings offers tailored, structured maintenance programmes to ensure bearing reliability. Whether scheduled or unplanned, our diagnostic and corrective maintenance is vital to the continued smooth running of your operation and the satisfaction of your customers.

Features & Benefits

Load capacity
Self-aligning capability
Improved oil film stability
Reduced vibration and noise levels
Longer equipment lifespan
Made to fit designs
Transfer high axial loads from rotating shafts
Support shaft diameters from 20mm - 1,000mm +

Applications

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Commercial marine

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Gas and steam turbines

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Gearboxes

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Motors and generators

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Naval

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Pumps

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Turbo compressors

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Turbo expanders

Why Michell Bearings

Our hydrodynamic bearings are engineered to meet the most demanding requirements of modern industrial applications, providing superior performance in challenging environments from gas and steam turbines to marine and naval vessels.

Using our experience in bearing design, we provide innovative and bespoke bearing solutions that are tailored to your application’s specific needs, ensuring optimal performance and efficiency.

Our team of experienced engineers and technicians work closely with customers to provide advice and support at every stage of the project, from initial consultation to ongoing maintenance and support.

We believe that a key factor in our success is our understanding of the markets we operate in and we continue to drive the industry forward with our cutting edge solutions.