PERFORMANCE OF GAS-LUBRICATED CRUCIFORM-MOUNTED TILTING-PAD JOURNAL BEARINGS AND A DAMPED FLEXIBLY MOUNTED SPIRAL-GROOVE THRUST BEARING

摘要

A test program was conducted to determine the performance characteristics of gas-lubricated cruciform-mounted tilting-pad journal bearings and a damped spiral-groove thrust bearing de¬signed for the Brayton cycle rotating unit (BRU). Hydrostatic, hybrid (simultaneously hydro¬static and hydrodynamic), and hydrodynamic tests were conducted in argon gas at ambient pres¬sure and temperature ranges representative of operation to the 10.5 kW BRU power-generating level. Performance of the gas lubricated bearings is presented including hydrostatic gas flow rates, bearing clearances, bearing temperatures, and transient performance.