High Speed Journal And Thrust Bearing Design

PaperPg. 56-61.There are many approaches to the design of thrust and journal hearings for high speed turbomachinery, ranging from the simplest flat thrust bearings and plain journal hearings to the very sophisticated multiwedge designs for both thrust and journal bearings. It is the intent of this paper to stress some fundamentals by which bearing designs can be selected which match the performance requirements of various types of turbomachines. The scope of this paper will be limited to design of fluid film bearings and will therefore not include any discussion on the use of rolling element bearings nor solid film lubricated bearings. Fluid film bearings should be designed to meet the operating requirements of the machine if at all possible. In some cases, an economic decision dictates varying or compromising the design of the particular machine to accept a less expensive and less sophisticated bearing design. An argument on the original reasoning versus the long term effect of such decisions is beyond the scope of this discussion