Investigation on the Failure of the Bearing Mechanisms of the Marine Turbine on an FPSO Operating in Vietnam Waters

摘要

Marine turbine bearings are very susceptible to failures through number of different mechanisms such as wear, fatigue and mechanical damages due to the conditions it operates in. The failure of this particular thrust bearing lead to the whole turbine being shut down as a result sizing of the shaft and In this study failed part of a thrust bearing related to a 20.4 MW GE LM 2500 Marine Gas turbine was examined and findings was presented below. Large amounts of surface cracks, noticeable changes of the failed surface with significant escalation of surface hardness were the main results. The studies revealed that the bearing part coming loose and shifting into dis-proponate clearance producing relative displacements under cyclic gradient loading. This condition grossly reduced the service life of turbine journal bearing via failure through fretting fatigue mechanism.