Radial bearing

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9217464-B2
Application number	US-201314374303-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 29, 2013
Priority date	Feb 14, 2012
Publication date	Dec 22, 2015
Grant date	Dec 22, 2015

Abstract

The invention relates to a radial bearing, comprising a housing, a housing bore extending along a bearing axis, several tilting segments that are arranged around the bearing axis in order to support a shaft and each have a radially outer bearing surface, by means of which the tilting segments are supported on a supporting surface on the housing. The radially outer bearing surface of each tilting segment and the supporting surface are arranged facing each other. Each tilting segment is movably arranged relative to the housing. The invention is characterized by the following features: a first one of the surfaces forms a first section curve with a first section plane perpendicular to the bearing axis; the first section curve is convexly curved and has a first main radius of curvature, and the second surface forms a second section curve with the section plane perpendicular to the bearing axis; the second section curve is correspondingly concavely curved and has a second main radius of curvature, wherein the magnitude of the first main radius of curvature of the first surface is smaller than the magnitude of the second main radius of curvature of the second surface; the first surface forms a third section curve with a second section plane parallel to the bearing axis; the third section curve is convexly curved and has a first secondary radius of curvature, and the second surface forms a fourth section curve with the second section plane parallel to the bearing axis; and the fourth section curve is correspondingly concavely curved or not curved and has a second secondary radius of curvature or correspondingly has no curvature, the two secondary radii of curvature being different from each other.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A radial bearing comprising:
a housing;
a housing borehole extending along a bearing axis;
multiple tilting pads arranged about the bearing axis to mount a shaft, wherein each of the multiple tilting pads has a radially outer bearing surface supported by a support surface of the housing;
the radially outer bearing surface of each of the multiple tilting pads and the support surface are arranged opposite to one another;
each of the multiple tilting pads is arranged to be movable in relation to the housing;
the radially outer bearing surface of each of the multiple tilting pads forms a first section curve with a first section plane perpendicular to the bearing axis, wherein the first section curve is convexly curved and has a first main curvature radius;
the support surface forms a second section curve with the first section plane perpendicular to the bearing axis; wherein the second section curve is correspondingly concavely curved and has a second main curvature radius, wherein an absolute value of the first main curvature radius of the radially outer bearing surface is less than an absolute value of the second main curvature radius of the support surface;
the radially outer bearing surface forms a third section curve with a second section plane parallel to the bearing axis;
the third section curve is convexly curved and has a first secondary curvature radius;
the support surface forms a fourth section curve with the second section plane parallel to the bearing axis; the fourth section curve is concavely curved and has a second secondary curvature radius or is not curved and has no curvature;
the first secondary curvature radius and the second secondary curvature radius differ from one another;
the first main curvature radius and the second main curvature radius differ from one another;
the first and the second main curvature radii and/or the first and the second secondary curvature radii of the support surface decrease with increasing distance from an intersection point, wherein the intersection point is formed by the first and the second section planes and the support surface.

2. The radial bearing according to claim 1 , wherein the second main curvature radius of the support surface at the intersection point in a section plane perpendicular to the bearing axis is less than a distance between the bearing axis and the intersection point.

3. The radial bearing according to claim 1 , wherein each of the multiple tilting pads is positioned in a the circumferential direction such that a resulting hydrodynamic force on a radial inner bearing surface of each of the multiple tilting pads is in equilibrium with a reaction force on the radial outer bearing surface, which only arises at a spot-shaped contact between the radial outer bearing surface and the support surface.

4. The radial bearing according to claim 1 , wherein the support surface is arranged on a pressure block, and wherein the pressure block is fastened on the housing, is embedded in the housing, or is embodied integrally with the housing.

5. The radial bearing according to claim 1 , wherein the multiple tilting pads and/or pressure blocks have a material, wherein a modulus of elasticity of the multiple tilting pads and/or the pressure blocks is greater than 200 GPa.

6. The radial bearing according to claim 1 , wherein:
a lubricant and coolant is provided to the radial bearing using a ring groove, wherein the ring groove extends in a circumferential direction in the housing and is not located in the bearing center in an axial direction; and
the lubricant and coolant is provided to each of the multiple tilting pads using a radially extending borehole in the housing, wherein the at least one radially extending borehole has access to the ring groove.

7. The radial bearing according to claim 1 , wherein the radial bearing comprises a first oil barrier for tapping hot entrained oil from a gap formed by a respective tilting pad of the multiple tilting pads and the shaft, wherein the first oil barrier is arranged between two tilting pads of the multiple tilting pads and protrudes with a free end from a radial outside into a region of the gap.

8. The radial bearing according to claim 7 , wherein the radial bearing comprises a second oil barrier for supplying cold fresh oil to the gap formed by the respective tilting pad of the multiple tilting pads and the shaft, wherein the second oil barrier is arranged between the two tilting pads of the multiple tilting pads and protrudes with a free end from the radial outside into an intermediate space between the housing and the respective tilting pad, and wherein the cold fresh oil has a lower temperature than the hot entrained oil.

9. The radial bearing according to claim 8 , wherein at least one of the first and the second oil barriers is inclined in relation to a radial of the bearing axis.

10. The radial bearing according to claim 8 , wherein a radial inner end of at least one of the first and the second oil barriers is located on or radially outside a radial inner bearing surface, wherein the first and the second oil barriers are arranged on an oil supply strip or are embodied integrally therewith or are embodied with the housing.

11. The radial bearing according to claim 1 ,
wherein an oil supply strip for supplying coolant or lubricant to a gap formed by a respective tilting pad of the multiple tilting pads and the shaft is arranged between two tilting pads of the multiple tilting pads; and
the oil supply strip discharges into a region of the gap and, wherein a discharge surface area thereof is oriented onto an edge of the respective tilting pad, wherein the respective tilting pad is first passed over by the shaft when viewed in the rotational direction of the shaft.

12. The radial bearing according to claim 1 , wherein at least one holding means is provided, such that a respective tilting pad of the multiple tilting pads does not fall out of the housing during transportation or installation.

13. The radial bearing according to claim 12 , wherein at least one of the multiple tilting pads has recesses in a region of an intake edge for supplying oil exiting from an oil supply strip into a gap.

14. The radial bearing according to claim 13 , wherein the oil supply strip has discharge openings, and wherein the discharge openings overlap with the recesses in a direction of a longitudinal axis of the discharge openings.

15. The radial bearing according to claim 1 , wherein a side cover is attached to an axial surface of the housing.

Assignees

• Voith Patent Gmbh

Inventors

• Rudolph Ralph
• Fuchs Andreas
• Sprol Klaus-Peter

Classifications

• F16C17/03 Primary

  with tiltably-supported segments, e.g. Michell bearings {(hydrostatic bearings with tiltably supported bearing pads F16C32/0666; made from a plurality of rods F16C33/26; with flexible leaves F16C17/024; hydrodynamic bearings with chambers F16C33/1075)} · CPC title

• F16C23/04

  self-adjusting · CPC title

• F16C2360/23

  Gas turbine engines · CPC title