Identification of Dynamic Coefficients of a Five-Pad Tilting Pad Journal Bearing up to Highest Surface Speeds

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philipp Zemella ◽  
Thomas Hagemann ◽  
Bastian Pfau ◽  
Hubert Schwarze
Keyword(s):  
Flow Rate ◽  
Time Domain ◽  
Static Load ◽  
Journal Bearing ◽  
Damping Coefficients ◽  
Dynamic Coefficients ◽  
Tilting Pad ◽  
Oil Flow ◽  
Tilting Pad Journal Bearing ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Tilting-pad journal bearings are widely used in turbomachinery industry due to their positive dynamic properties at high rotor speeds. However, the exact description of this dynamic behavior is still part of current research. This paper presents measurement results for a five-pad tilting-pad journal bearing in load between pivot configuration. The bearing is characterized by a nominal diameter of 100 mm, a length of 90 mm, and a pivot offset of 0.6. Investigations include results for surface speeds between 25 and 120 m/s and specific bearing loads ranging from 0.0 to 3.0 MPa. Results of theoretical predictions are commonly derived from perturbation of stationary operation under static load. Therefore, experimental results for stationary operation including pad deflection under static load are presented first to characterize the investigated bearing. Measured results indicate considerable non-laminar flow in the upper region of the investigated range of rotor speeds. Second, dynamic excitation test are performed with excitation frequencies up to 400 Hz to evaluate dynamic coefficients of a stiffness (K) and damping (C) KC-model, and additionally, a KCM-model using additional virtual mass (M) coefficients. KCM-coefficients are obtained by fitting frequency dependent KC-characteristics to the KCM-model structure using least square approach. The wide range of rotating and excitation frequencies leads to subsynchronous as well as supersynchronous vibrations. Excitation forces are applied with multi-sinus and single-sinus characteristics. The latter one allows evaluation of KC-coefficients at the particular frequency ratio in the time domain. Here, frequency and time domain evaluation algorithms for dynamic coefficients are used in order to assess their special properties and quality. The impact of surface speed, bearing load, and oil flow rate on measured and predicted KCM-coefficients is investigated. Measured and predicted results can be well fitted to a KCM-model and show a significant influence of the ratio between fluid film and pivot support stiffness on the speed dependent characteristic of bearing stiffness coefficients. However, the impact of this ratio on damping coefficients is considerably lower. Further investigations on the impact of oil flow rates indicate that a significant decrease of direct damping coefficients exists below a certain level of starvation. Above this limit, direct damping coefficients are nearly independent of oil flow rate. Results are analyzed in detail and demands on improvements for predictions are derived.

Identification of Dynamic Coefficients of a Five-Pad Tilting Pad Journal Bearing Up to Highest Surface Speeds

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philipp Zemella ◽  
Thomas Hagemann ◽  
Bastian Pfau ◽  
Hubert Schwarze
Keyword(s):  
Flow Rate ◽  
Journal Bearing ◽  
Flow Rates ◽  
Damping Coefficients ◽  
Dynamic Coefficients ◽  
Tilting Pad ◽  
Oil Flow ◽  
Bearing Loads ◽  
Tilting Pad Journal Bearing ◽  
The Impact

Abstract This paper presents measurement results for a five-pad tilting-pad journal bearing in load between pivot configuration. The bearing is characterized by a nominal diameter of 100 mm, a length of 90 mm, and a pivot offset of 0.6. Investigations include results for surface speeds between 25 and 120 m/s and specific bearing loads ranging from 0.0 to 3.0 MPa and different lube oil flow rates. Dynamic excitation test are performed with excitation frequencies up to 400 Hz to evaluate dynamic coefficients of a stiffness (K) and damping (C) KC-model, and additionally, a KCM-model using additional virtual mass (M) coefficients. The impact of surface speed, bearing load, and oil flow rate on measured and predicted KCM-coefficients is investigated. Measured and predicted results can be well fitted to a KCM-model and show a significant influence of the ratio between fluid film and pivot support stiffness on the speed dependent characteristic of bearing stiffness coefficients. However, the impact of this ratio on damping coefficients is considerably lower. Further investigations on the impact of oil flow rates indicate that a significant decrease of direct damping coefficients exists below a certain level of starvation. Above this limit, direct damping coefficients are nearly independent of oil flow rate. Results are analyzed in detail and demands on improvements for predictions are derived.

Calculation of Stiffness and Damping Properties of Gas Bearings

1968 ◽  
Vol 90 (4) ◽  
pp. 793-803 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. W. Lund
Keyword(s):  
Static Load ◽  
Journal Bearing ◽  
Computational Method ◽  
Gas Bearings ◽  
Rotating Speed ◽  
Damping Coefficients ◽  
Tilting Pad ◽  
Stiffness And Damping ◽  
Tilting Pad Journal Bearing ◽  
Gas Bearing

The dynamic characteristics of a gas bearing can be represented by a set of spring and damping coefficients (impedances) which are functions of the static load on the bearing, the rotating speed and the whirl frequency of the journal. For a rotor supported in gas bearings, these coefficients can be used directly in a critical speed calculation or an unbalance response calculation. In addition, the coefficients can be employed in a stability investigation. The paper gives the computational method for obtaining the spring and damping coefficients and, also, describes how they are used in rotor calculations and stability studies. Numerical results are given in graphical and tabular form for a tilting pad journal bearing and a three-lobe journal bearing.

Cooling Effect and Dynamic Characteristics of Oil Film of Partial Tilting Pad Bearing

2007 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kyung-Bo Bang ◽  
Jeong-Hun Kim ◽  
Cheol-Hong Kim
Keyword(s):  
Dynamic Characteristics ◽  
Journal Bearing ◽  
Hydrodynamic Pressure ◽  
Oil Film ◽  
Rotating Speed ◽  
Damping Coefficients ◽  
Tilting Pad ◽  
Oil Flow ◽  
Stiffness And Damping ◽  
Tilting Pad Journal Bearing

In the present paper, we suggest a new type of tilting pad journal bearing to decrease oil film temperature and eliminate pad fluttering during operation. This bearing consists of tilting pad journal bearing at low casing and fixed arc type journal bearing at upper casing. Namely we changed a tilting pad bearing with a fixed arc type bearing at upper casing. To investigate the effects of changing the bearing shape, the static and dynamic characteristics were compared experimentally with conventional tilting pad journal bearing. For the static characteristics, oil film temperature, hydrodynamic pressure and oil film thickness were measured with the variation of rotating speed, bearing load and oil flow rate. The stiffness and damping coefficients of oil film were also obtained using the response subjected to harmonic external force to evaluating the dynamic characteristics. The results show that the suggested type of bearing has effect on reducing oil film temperature and increasing stiffness and damping coefficients of oil film.

Tilting Pad Journal Bearings: A Discussion on Stability Calculation, Frequency Dependence, and Pad and Pivot Flexibility

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jason C. Wilkes ◽  
Dara W. Childs
Keyword(s):  
Degrees Of Freedom ◽  
Journal Bearing ◽  
Operating Temperature ◽  
Excitation Frequency ◽  
Full Model ◽  
Stability Calculation ◽  
Damping Coefficients ◽  
Tilting Pad ◽  
Stiffness And Damping ◽  
Tilting Pad Journal Bearing

For several years, researchers have presented predictions showing that using a full tilting-pad journal bearing (TPJB) model (retaining all of the pad degrees of freedom) is necessary to accurately perform stability calculations for a shaft operating on TPJBs. This paper will discuss this issue, discuss the importance of pad and pivot flexibility in predicting impedance coefficients for the tilting-pad journal bearing, present measured changes in bearing clearance with operating temperature, and summarize the differences between measured and predicted frequency dependence of dynamic impedance coefficients. The current work presents recent test data for a 100 mm (4 in) five-pad TPJB tested in load on pad (LOP) configuration. Measured results include bearing clearance as a function of operating temperature, pad clearance and radial displacement of the loaded pad (the pad having the static load vector directed through its pivot), and frequency dependent stiffness and damping. Measured hot bearing clearances are approximately 30% smaller than measured cold bearing clearances and are inversely proportional to pad surface temperature; predicting bearing impedances with a rigid pad and pivot model using these reduced clearances results in overpredicted stiffness and damping coefficients that are several times larger than previous comparisons. The effect of employing a full bearing model versus a reduced bearing model (where only journal degrees of freedom are retained) in a stability calculation for a realistic rotor-bearing system is assessed. For the bearing tested, the bearing coefficients reduced at the frequency of the unstable eigenvalue (subsynchronously reduced) predicted a destabilizing cross-coupled stiffness coefficient at the onset of instability within 1% of the full model, while synchronously reduced coefficients for the lightly loaded bearing required 25% more destabilizing cross-coupled stiffness than the full model to cause system instability. The same stability calculation was performed using measured stiffness and damping coefficients at synchronous and subsynchronous frequencies. These predictions showed that both the synchronously measured stiffness and damping and predictions using the full bearing model were more conservative than the model using subsynchronously measured stiffness and damping, an outcome that is completely opposite from conclusions reached by comparing different prediction models. This contrasting outcome results from a predicted increase in damping with increasing excitation frequency at all speeds and loads; however, this increase in damping with increasing excitation frequency was only measured at the most heavily loaded conditions.

Experimental Determination of Dynamic Characteristics of a Full Size Gas Turbine Tilting-Pad Journal Bearing by an Impact Test Method

1991 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. H. Chan ◽  
M. F. White
Keyword(s):  
Gas Turbine ◽  
Impact Test ◽  
Journal Bearing ◽  
Estimation Procedure ◽  
Response Spectra ◽  
Test Method ◽  
Full Size ◽  
Tilting Pad ◽  
Tilting Pad Journal Bearing ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Measurements have been taken on an experimental rotor-bearing test rig which consists of a full size gas turbine shaft supported by two five-pad tilting-pad journal bearings. The impact test method was applied by exciting one end of the shaft in-situ by means of a hammer blow. Impact forces and response displacements were collected and analysed with suitable corrections for runout effect. Averaged frequency response spectra thus obtained were used in a parameter estimation procedure to calculate the dynamic coefficients of the tested tilting-pad journal bearing. An analytical single degree-of-freedom model was employed and one of the input parameters in the mechanical model, the effective mass, was found to significantly influence the estimated results. The measured stiffness and damping coefficients are compared with results predicted by a bearing design program. Possible sources of discrepancies between experimental and theoretical results are discussed.

An Analytical Complete Model of Tilting-Pad Journal Bearing Considering Pivot Stiffness and Damping

2010 ◽  
Vol 133 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhiyong Yan ◽  
Yi Lu ◽  
Tiesheng Zheng
Keyword(s):  
Degrees Of Freedom ◽  
Journal Bearing ◽  
Local Coordinate System ◽  
Dynamical Behavior ◽  
Complete Model ◽  
Damping Coefficients ◽  
Tilting Pad ◽  
Generalized Force ◽  
Stiffness And Damping ◽  
Tilting Pad Journal Bearing

Considering the freedom of pad tilting and pad translation along preload orientation, an analytical complete model, as well as mathematical method, which contains 2n+2 degrees of freedom, is presented for calculating the dynamical characteristics of tilting-pad journal bearing. Based on the motion relationship of shaft and pad, the local coordinate system, the generalized displacement, and the generalized force vector are chosen. The concise transformation of generalized displacement, generalized force, and its Jacobian matrix between the local and global coordinate systems are built up in matrix form. A fast algorithm using the Newton–Raphson method for calculating the equilibrium position of journal and pads is proposed. The eight reduced stiffness and damping coefficients can be obtained assuming that the journal and all pads are subject to harmonic vibration. Numerical results show that the reduced damping coefficients and the threshold speed can be effectively enhanced by giving suitable pad pivot stiffness and damping simultaneously, and this analytical method can be applied to analyze dynamical behavior of the tilting-pad journal bearing rotor system.

Three-Dimensional Thermo-Elasto-Hydrodynamic Computational Fluid Dynamics Model of a Tilting Pad Journal Bearing—Part II: Dynamic Response

2019 ◽  
Vol 141 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jongin Yang ◽  
Alan Palazzolo
Keyword(s):  
Fluid Dynamics ◽  
Computational Fluid Dynamics ◽  
Dynamic Response ◽  
Journal Bearing ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Static Response ◽  
Damping Coefficients ◽  
Tilting Pad ◽  
Stiffness And Damping ◽  
Tilting Pad Journal Bearing

Part II presents a novel approach for predicting dynamic coefficients for a tilting pad journal bearing (TPJB) using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and finite element method (FEM), including fully coupled elastic deflection, heat transfer, and fluid dynamics. Part I presented a similarly novel, high fidelity approach for TPJB static response prediction which is a prerequisite for the dynamic characteristic determination. The static response establishes the equilibrium operating point values for eccentricity, attitude angle, deflections, temperatures, pressures, etc. The stiffness and damping coefficients are obtained by perturbing the pad and journal motions about this operating point to determine changes in forces and moments. The stiffness and damping coefficients are presented in “synchronously reduced form” as required by American Petroleum Institute (API) vibration standards. Similar to Part I, an advanced three-dimensional thermal—Reynolds equation code validates the CFD code for the special case when flow Between Pad (BP) regions is ignored, and the CFD and Reynolds pad boundary conditions are made identical. The results show excellent agreement for this validation case. Similar to the static response case, the dynamic characteristics from the Reynolds model show large discrepancies compared with the CFD results, depending on the Reynolds mixing coefficient (MC). The discrepancies are a concern given the key role that stiffness and damping coefficients serve instability and response predictions in rotordynamics software. The uncertainty of the MC and its significant influence on static and dynamic response predictions emphasizes a need to utilize the CFD approach for TPJB simulation in critical machines.

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