Thermal Preload for Predicting Performance Change Due to Pad Thermal Deformation of Tilting Pad Journal Bearing

Thermal deformation of journal bearings operating under high-temperature conditions can have a significant effect on changes in bearing performance. However, no attempt has been made to quantify this amount of thermal deformation and link it to the performance change of the bearing. The aim of this study is to investigate the quantitative performance change due to thermal deformation of the tilting pad journal bearing (TPJB) pad in terms of the change in preload amount. The variable viscosity Reynolds equation and the energy equation were coupled using the relationship between viscosity and temperature, and the solution was obtained using the finite element method. Heat transfer between the spinning journal, oil film and pads is considered, and a three-dimensional (3D) finite element (FE) model was used to calculate the thermal deformation of the bearing structure. The steady state of the rotor-bearing system was predicted using a bearing performance prediction algorithm with three closed loops. State variables for this steady-state prediction include the amount of thermal deformation of the structure. In order to investigate the amount of thermal deformation of the bearing pad in terms of bearing performance, the concepts of thermal offset preload and thermal performance preload were suggested and the change in thermal preload under various conditions was investigated.