On the Thermal Effects in the Design of Tilting-Pad Bearings Subjected to Inlet Pressure Build-Up

Abstract

The presented analytical consideration of tilting-pad bearings incorporates simultaneously the changes in viscosity (due to viscous dissipation) and in the nonambient inlet pressure (due to momentum depletion within the fore-region). The solution provides the following quantities: film temperature distributions, pressure distribution, maximum temperature of the pad, load capacity, friction force, coordinate of the center of pressure, and coordinate of the pivot point. Comparison with the case when the inlet pressure is assumed to be ambient indicates the significance of the pressure build-up in the fore-region.