• Tribology and Lubricants
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• v.39 no.3
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• pp.102-110
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• 2023

This study aims to quantify the variation in the performance of a tilting pad journal bearing (TPJB) owing to the elastic deformation of its pad. To this end, we first defined a parameter, "elastic preload", and predicted the changes in the performance of the TPJB, as a function of the preload amount. We used the iso-viscosity Reynolds equation, which ignores the temperature rise due to viscous shear in thin films, and the resultant thermal deformation of the bearing structure. We employed a three-dimensional finite element model to predict the elastic deformation of the bearing pad, and a transient analysis, to converge to a static equilibrium condition of the flexible pads and journal. Conducting a modal coordinate transformation helped us avoid heavy computational issues arising from a mesh refinement in the three-dimensional finite element pad model. Moreover, we adopted the Hertzian contact model to predict the elastic deformation at the pivot location. With the aforementioned overall strategy, we predicted the performance changes owing to the elastic deformation of the pad under varying load conditions. From the results, we observed an increase in the preload due to the pad elastic deformation.

• Proceedings of the KSME Conference
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• 2001.06c
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• pp.281-286
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• 2001

Tilting pad journal bearings have been widely used in a high speed rotating machinery, such as steam turbines and gas turbines, owing to their inherent stability characteristics. However, some peculiar fatigue failure in the babbitt metal due to spragging has been continuously occurred at the leading edge of the upper pads. The spragging is defined as the pad vibration initiated on the upper unloaded pads in a tilting pad journal bearing. This paper describes both several kinds of bearing failure related with spragging and the theoretical investigation on the prevention of the spragging phenomenon using the variation of preload. Results show that positive preload(m>0.5) assures all pads remain statically loaded under all operating conditions. For the change of design parameter to prevent spragging, thermo-hydrodynamic lubrication and rotor dynamic analysis were performed to verify temperature limitation on bearing and vibration problems on rotor bearing system.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Tribologists and Lubrication Engineers Conference
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• 1998.10a
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• pp.160-165
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• 1998

A theoretical analysis has been undertaken to show the influence of bearing geometry on the steady state characteristics of air lubricated spherical tilting pad bearings. The geometry variations considered are the number of pads, the eccentricity ratio, the direction of load, and the preloading.

• Tribology and Lubricants
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.14-24
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• 2021

This study shows the effect of the thermal boundary condition around the tilting pad journal bearing on the static and dynamic characteristics of the bearing through a high-precision numerical model. In many cases, it is very difficult to predict or measure the exact thermal boundary conditions around bearings at the operating site of a turbomachine, not even in a laboratory. The purpose of this study is not to predict the thermal boundary conditions around the bearing, but to find out how the performance of the bearing changes under different thermal boundary conditions. Lubricating oil, bearing pads and shafts were modeled in three dimensions using the finite element method, and the heat transfer between these three elements and the resulting thermal deformation were considered. The Generalized Reynolds equation and three-dimensional energy equation that can take into account the viscosity change in the direction of the film thickness are connected and analyzed by the relationship between viscosity and temperature. The numerical model was written in in-house code using MATLAB, and a parallel processing algorithm was used to improve the analysis speed. Constant temperature and convection temperature conditions are used as the thermal boundary conditions. Notably, the conditions around the bearing pad, rather than the temperature boundary conditions around the shaft, have a greater influence on the performance changes of the bearing.

• Tribology and Lubricants
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.99-105
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• 2021

In this study, for a high-pressure turbine (HPT) of 800 MW class supercritical thermal-power plant, considering aerodynamic cross-coupling, we performed a rotordynamic logarithmic decrement (LogDec) stability analysis with various tilting pad journal bearing (TPJB) designs, which several steam turbine OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) currently apply in their supercritical and ultra-supercritical HPTs. We considered the following TPJB designs: 6-Pad load on pad (LOP)/load between pad (LBP), 5-Pad LOP/LBP, Hybrid 3-Pad LOP (lower 3-Pad tilting and upper 1-Pad fixed), and 5-Pad LBPs with the design variables of offset and preload. We used the API Level-I method for a LogDec stability analysis. Following results are summarized only in a standpoint of LogDec stability. The Hybrid 3-Pad LOP TPJBs most excellently outperform all the other TPJBs over nearly a full range of cross-coupled stiffness. In a high range of cross-coupled stiffness, both the 6-Pad LOP and 5-Pad LOP TPJBs may be recommended as a practical conservative bearing design approach for enhancing a rotordynamic stability of the HPT. As expected, in a high range of cross-coupled stiffness, the 6-Pad LBP TPJBs exhibit a better performance than the 5-Pad LBP TPJBs. However, contrary to one's expectation, notably, the 5-Pad LOP TPJBs exhibit a slightly better performance than the 6-Pad LOP TPJBs. Furthermore, we do not recommend any TPJB design efforts of either increasing a pad offset from 0.5 or a pad preload from 0 for the HPT in a standpoint of stability.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Precision Engineering Conference
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• 2010.05a
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• pp.1287-1288
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• 2010

• Tribology and Lubricants
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.35-45
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• 1994

The thermohydrodynamic analysis of tilting pad thrust bearing is studied with the consideration of elastic effect of pad. Reynolds equation, deflection equation and energy equation are solved simultaneously with the boundary conditions. Reynolds equation is modified as the approximate form. Pads are supported by the line pivot and the point pivot respectively. Pads are considered as the flat planes. Effects of pad thickness on the performance of thrust bearing are emphasized and the performances of rigid pad and elastic pad are compared. Effects of inlet temperature on performances of the bearing are compared. Dynamic characteristics of both pad supported by line and point pivot are compared.

• Tribology and Lubricants
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• v.18 no.5
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• pp.357-363
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• 2002

The vibration characteristics of the pad fluttering in a fluid film tilting pad journal bearing (4-pad LBP) have been investigated experimentally under the different values of oil supply flow rate, bearing load and shaft speed. The vibration characteristics of the pad fluttering are estimated by measuring the time signal of circumferential distribution of the film thickness and the cascade plot of the response of the relative displacement between the bearing and the shaft. It is shown that the vibration frequency of the pad fluttering has a sub-synchronous frequency and almost does not change by the increase of shaft speed. However the vibration amplitude is increased by the increase of shaft speed. From those experimental results, pad fluttering can be thought of as a self-excited vibration. The incipient pad fluttering velocity is increased by the increase of oil supply flow rate and by the decrease of bearing load. It is observed that the vibration amplitude of the pad fluttering can be decrease by the control of supply oil flow rate effectively. And also It is known that the outbreak of pad fluttering does not concern with the shaft vibration.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Tribologists and Lubrication Engineers Conference
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• 2000.11a
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• pp.228-234
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• 2000

The vibration characteristics of the pad fluttering in a fluid film tilting pad journal bearing(4-pad LBP) have been investigated experimentally under the different values of oil supply flow rate, bearing load and shaft speed. The vibration characteristics of the pad fluttering are estimated by measuring the time signal of circumferential distribution of the film thickness and the cascade plot of the response of the relative displacement between the bearing and the shaft. It is shown that the vibration frequency of the pad fluttering has a sub-synchronous frequency and 31mos1 does not change by the increase of shaft speed. However the vibration amplitude is increased by the increase of shaft speed. From those experimental results, pad fluttering can be thought of as a self-excited vibration. The incipient pad fluttering velocity is increased by the increase of oil supply rate and by the decrease of bearing load. It is observed that the vibration amplitude of the pad fluttering can be decreased by the control of supply oil flow rate effectively. And also It is known that the outbreak of pad fluttering does not concern with the shaft vibration.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Precision Engineering Conference
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• 2007.06a
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• pp.555-556
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• 2007