Measurements of Maximum Temperature in Tilting-Pad Thrust Bearings

One of the important restrictions governing the design of tilting-pad thrust bearings it the maximum allowable white metal temperature. However, adequate guidance on typical pad operating temperatures has not been available in established lubrication handbooks. New pad temperature data from 12 test bearings have been combined with previously published work to provide a source of information covering a diverse range of proven bearing types and sizes. The collected information has been presented as the difference between the maximum pad and oil supply temperatures at fixed values of bearing pressure against mean sliding speed. Clear trends have been found in the data which have enabled curves of typical bearing performance to be drawn through the test results. The differences between the type of lubricant feed (“flooded” or “low loss”/“directed”) and the pivot position (center or offset) have been highlighted. Presented at the 41st Annual Meeting in Toronto, Ontario, Canada May 12–15, 1986