The Comparative Performance of Energy Efficient, Tilting Pad Thrust Bearings for High Speed Applications

Abstract

Energy efficient hydrodynamic, tilting pad thrust bearings find wide use in industry for high speed applications. This paper presents results of comparative experiments between the two main design philosophies currently available for these bearings. It is concluded that given identical operating conditions, one of the approaches, the “low loss” or “directed” design, is the more efficient by a significant amount. The robustness of the low loss design is confirmed in a series of further experiments which test its tolerance to various adverse circumstances.

Presented at the 46th Annual Meeting in Montreal, Quebec, Canada April 29–May 2, 1991

Notes

Presented at the 46th Annual Meeting in Montreal, Quebec, Canada April 29–May 2, 1991