Observer-Based Control of Tilting-Pad Thrust Bearings

The active control of hydrodynamic bearings is beginning to receive more attention in the pursuit of lower power losses and reduced maintenance. This paper presents a method by which, from simple measurements, rich information can be deduced from a running bearing that can used to modify the operating parameters of the unit. The bearing is a line-pivot, unidirectional, steadily loaded, directly lubricated tilting pad thrust bearing. This control is achieved by designing an Observer whose inputs include the output measurement(s) from the bearing. The Observer is, in some ways, an inverse model of the bearing (or Plant) that runs in parallel to the bearing and estimates the states of the bearing, such as the applied load, pivot height, minimum film thickness, maximum temperature, effective temperature and power loss. These estimated parameters can then be used in a control algorithm to modify bearing parameters such as inlet temperature or pivot location. It is demonstrated that disturbances in the load on the bearing can be detected simply by measuring a representative temperature in the bearing or changes in pivot height. Appropriate corrective action can then be employed. Whilst only steady-state operation is considered, the method could be developed to study time-varying situations.

Study on the Influence of Rotational Speed and Pad Temperature of Pumped-Storage Set on Oil Mist Leakage of Thrust Bearing

The accumulation of oil mist in the thrust bearings compromises the safety of the unit and prompts financial and environmental losses. To discuss the strategies for limiting its impact, the model uses the VOF approach to calculate the air-oil-oil mist three-phase flow, combined with the Lee model, to solve the evaporation and mass transfer process between the oil and oil mist. Our attention is drawn into the influence of unit speed and pad temperature, on the occurrence of external and internal leaks from the oil tank. A comparison of cases is made with five unit speeds (100 to 500 rpm) at constant temperature (60°C), and with one unit speed (500 rpm) at different temperatures (56°C,60°C,62°C). With constant speed, the rise of pad temperature promotes the evaporation of the lubricating oil in an uneven manner, augmenting the occurrence of oil leaks. From findings, the increase of speed reduces the pressure change rate at the wall of the inner tank (external oil leaks) by 5.95 %, and of the oil slinger (internal leaks), by 44.64%. The present results might help to suggest courses of action to reduce the oil mist leakage.

Inertial contributions to friction measurements in thrust bearings

Surface textures decrease friction in lubricated sliding contact. Traditionally, the friction reduction for a given textured surface is determined by using the Reynolds equation, which neglects fluid inertia. However, as the separation and relative motion between the surfaces increase, inertia can affect the measured tangential and normal forces for flow over a textured surface, and thus cause the coefficient of friction to differ from the purely viscous, Stokes flow prediction. Here, the increase in torque and normal force between a moving plate and stationary textured surface, which simulates a textured thrust bearing, are calculated as a function of the Reynolds number in the thin film limit. The predictions for a non-textured thrust bearing are compared to fully 3-D numerical simulations of the incompressible Navier-Stokes equation, and the predictions for textured thrust bearings are compared to experimental data given in the literature. Good agreement is seen between the predictions and the data, validating the predicted scaling laws. This work also suggests that inertia can be used as a secondary effect to reduce friction in lubricated sliding, and textures that take advantage of the inertial effects will have lower friction than textures that only use purely viscous effects.

Texture optimization and verification for the thrust bearing used in rotary compressors based on a transient tribo-dynamics model

Rotary compressors are designed more and more compact and the compressor cylinder's ambient pressure is designed very high to facilitate oil separation and improve efficiency. However, these designs cause the working condition of the thrust bearing becoming harsher, and severe wear may occur. The present study is aimed at mitigating its wear condition through surface texturing. Based on a transient tribo-dynamics model considering the coupling effect of the journal and thrust bearings, a texture optimization study for the thrust bearing is conducted, in which three different stochastic optimization algorithms are utilized. The results show that thrust bearings with optimized textures have significantly reduced contact forces and wear under a high working frequency due to an extra hydrodynamic support around the texture dimples. The optimized texture designs are fabricated on the thrust bearing surfaces by a high-accurate picosecond laser machine and their performance is assessed through experiments using a compressor performance test platform. The experiment results confirm that the textured thrust bearing has a lower wear depth. Moreover, the coefficient of performance (COP) of the testing compressor with textured thrust bearing is increased while its input power decreases, which implies a reduced friction force and a higher energy efficiency.

Cutting Force When Machining Hardened Steels

This article deals primarily with the problem of determining the cutting force when machining hardened steels. Secondary issues are focused on the evaluation of surface quality on machined samples and the recommendation of cutting conditions. A wide variety of components are used in engineering, the final heat treatment of which is hardening. These components are usually critical in a particular product. The quality of these components determines the correct functioning of the entire technical equipment and ultimately its service life. In our case, these are the core parts of thrust bearings, specifically the rolling elements. The subject of the experiment is machining these components in the hardened state with cubic boron nitride tools and continuous measurement of the cutting force using a dynamometer. The following evaluation assesses the surface quality by both touch and non-touch methods. A structural equation with appropriate constant and exponents was then constructed from the data obtained using the dynamometer.

Theoretical Disquisition on the Static and Dynamic Characteristics of an Adaptive Stepped Hydrostatic Thrust Bearing with a Displacement Compensator

Stepped hydrostatic thrust bearings used in metal-cutting machines are characterized by high load capacity and damping, which ensure the stable operation of structures. However, in comparison with throttle thrust bearings, they have a high compliance. It is preferable that, in addition to the main bearing function, a modern hydrostatic bearing has the ability to provide low (including negative) compliance for the implementation of an adaptive function in order to actively compensate for the deformation of the machine resilient system, thereby increasing the accuracy of metalworking. This paper considers the design of a stepped hydrostatic thrust bearing, which, in order to reduce the compliance to negative values, features a technical improvement consisting of the use of an active displacement compensator on an elastic suspension. In this paper, the results of mathematical modeling and theoretical research of stationary and non-stationary modes of operation of the adaptive thrust bearing are presented. The possibility of a significant reduction in the static compliance of the structure, including the negative compliance values, is shown. It was found that negative compliance is provided in a wide range of loads, which can be up to 80% of the range of permissible bearing loads. The study of the dynamic characteristics showed that with a targeted selection of parameters that ensure optimal performance, the adaptive thrust bearing is able to operate stably in the entire range of permissible loads. It has been established that an adaptive stepped hydrostatic thrust bearing with a displacement compensator has a high stability margin, sufficient to ensure its operability when implementing the adaptive function.

Numerical and experimental study on the static performance of externally pressurized thrust bearings lubricated with refrigerant gases

Purpose Oil-free heat pumps that use the system refrigerant gases as lubricants are preferred for thermal management in future space applications. This study aims to numerically and experimentally investigate the static performance of externally pressurized thrust bearings lubricated with refrigerant gases. Design/methodology/approach The refrigerant gases R22, R410A and CO2 were chosen as the research objects, while N2 was used for comparison. Computational fluid dynamics was used to solve the full 3 D Navier–Stokes equations to determine the load capacity, static stiffness and static pressure distribution in the bearing film. The numerical results were experimentally verified. Findings The results showed that the refrigerant-gas-lubricated thrust bearings had a lower load capacity than the N2-lubricated bearings, but they presented a higher static stiffness when the bearing clearance was less than 9 µm. Compared with the N2-lubricated bearings, the optimal static stiffness of the R22- and CO2-lubricated bearings increased by more than 46% and more than 21%, respectively. The numerical and experimental results indicate that a small bearing clearance would be preferable when designing externally pressurized gas thrust bearings lubricated with the working medium of heat pump systems for space applications. Originality/value The findings of this study can serve as a basis for the further investigation of refrigerant gases as lubricants in heat pump systems, as well as for the future design of such gas bearings in heat pump systems for space applications.

Effects of Surface Roughness and Supply Inertia on Steady Performance of Hydrostatic Thrust Bearings Lubricated with Non-Newtonian Fluids

The objective of present theoretical analysis is to study the combined effects of surface roughness and fluid inertia (including the inertia of the fluid in the supply region) on the steady performance of stepped circular hydrostatic thrust bearings lubricated with non-Newtonian pseudoplastic fluids using Rabinowitsch stress-strain model. To account for the effects of surface roughness, the classical Christensen theory of rough surface has been taken. Analytic expressions for film pressure in bearing regions have been established for radial and circumferential patterns of roughness. Numerical results for film pressure, load carrying capacity and lubricant flow rate has been plotted and analysed. Due to surface roughness and fluid inertia in overall regions, significant improvement in performance properties have been observed.