A thermo-elastic-hydrodynamic model for air foil thrust bearings considering thermal seizure and failure analyses

Xiong, Cheng; Xu, Bo; Yu, Huanchun; Huang, Zhongwen; Chen, Zhenqian

doi:10.1016/j.triboint.2023.108373

Cited by 12 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 34 publications

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“…Numerical plots on pressure distribution and foil deflection of hybrid air foil thrust bearings (HAFTB) for various design and operating parameters by Lee and Kim [3], FEA modeling and simulation in COMSOS by C A Heshmat et al [4], pressure profiles for various film thickness ratios of FTB by Gad and Kaneko [5], fluid film thickness and pressure contours of gas foil thrust bearing (GFTB) for lower speeds obtained by Kim et al [6], and gas film thickness with surface pressure on novel GFTB with taper grooves by Hu and Feng [7] were beneficial in providing boundary conditions for the present work. Fluid-thermal-structureinteraction studied by Cheng Xiong and others [8] for an AFTB of 47 mm diameter at 151krpm speeds, analysis of annular top foil by Markus et al [9] for an AFTB of 54 mm diameter up to 120krpm speeds, and numerical analysis with rectangular grooves on the top foil for an AFTB of 38 mm diameter at 30,000 rpm speeds played a significant role in modeling and simulation of the present work. Theoretical and numerical investigations by Wu and Hu [10] analyzed the change in lubrication of an AFTB during start and stop cycles by concluding that an increase in surface roughness increases the lift-off speed and, hence, the contact time.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 72%

Experimental and CFD analysis of a gas-lubricated foil thrust bearing for various foil configurations

Ravikumar,

Rathanraj,

Arun

et al. 2023

FME Transactions

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Thrust foil bearings operating at hydrodynamic conditions are self-acting (aerodynamic) bearings that support high-speed shafts at mild loading conditions with air as a lubricant and are generally used in low-power gas turbines. This paper presents an experimental study and a detailed computational analysis of dynamic characteristics of the foil thrust bearing (FTB) in terms of load-carrying capabilities as a function of thrust runner speed and gap between the bearing assembly and the runner by considering the effect of bearing parameters such as number of foils, shape of the foils, and assembly of foils on the bearing pad. The parametric study was conducted on a newly conceptualized bearing test rig capable of rotating up to 45,000 rpm speeds that measured the axial loads of the air foil thrust bearings (AFTB). The computational model of the foil thrust bearings for various configurations with top foils is simulated using multiphysics software for foil deflections and pressure distributions on the foil surface. The numerical results were compared with the experimental values, while the air foil thrust bearings with multilayered foils called cascaded foils (patented) had higher load capability in comparison to other conventional bearing models.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 72%

Experimental and CFD analysis of a gas-lubricated foil thrust bearing for various foil configurations

Ravikumar,

Rathanraj,

Arun

et al. 2023

FME Transactions

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“…A no-slip and moving wall boundary at a constant angular velocity is applied to the surface of the thrust disk. The thrust disk is treated as a thermal convection boundary, but its thermal convection coefficient is determined using a forced convection model [22]. Additionally, a stationary no-slip wall boundary condition is adopted for the coupling surface.…”

Section: Computational Mode and Boundary Conditionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The remaining surfaces of the foil structure, the spacer and the back plate are treated as thermal convection boundaries, and a natural convection model is utilized to calculate the thermal convection coefficient. The thrust disk is also treated as a thermal convection boundary, but its thermal convection coefficient is determined using a forced convection model [22]. The ambient gas is the ideal gas of 25 • C and 1 atm.…”

Section: Computational Mode and Boundary Conditionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Liu et al [21] utilized the FTSI approach to examine the impact of boundary pressure on GFTB performance and elucidate the heat flux transfer path. The same approach was employed to study the mechanism of thermal seizures and failure behavior in GFTB [22], demonstrating that an additional forced cooling flow can effectively prevent thermal failure. However, these studies focused only on the effects of boundary pressure and additional forced cooling flow on fluid-thermal-structure performance.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Numerical Investigation of Bump Foil Configurations Effect on Gas Foil Thrust Bearing Performance Based on a Thermos-Elastic-Hydrodynamic Model

Hu,

Hou,

Deng

et al. 2023

Lubricants

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The performance of gas foil thrust bearings is critical to the successful design and operation of the high axial load rotatory machines that employ gas foil bearings. However, our understanding of gas foil thrust bearings remains incomplete. To enhance our understanding and predict the performance of gas foil thrust bearings, we have established a detailed three-dimensional thermo-elastic-hydrodynamic model of a gas foil thrust bearing based on a fluid-thermal-structure interaction approach in this study. To validate the accuracy of our model, a gas foil thrust bearing test rig was developed. Moreover, we present a numerical investigation of the influence of bump foil configurations on gas foil thrust bearing performance. The results show that the gas foil thrust bearing that fixes the bump foil at the trailing edge and splits the bump foil into several strips exhibits a 36.4% increase in load capacity compared to the gas foil thrust bearing that fixes a whole piece of bump foil at the leading edge. Fixing the bump foil at the trailing edge and splitting it into several strips effectively decreases power loss and reduces the risk of bearing thermal failure.

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“…5 Consequently, the temperature of the bearings rises promptly due to heat accumulation. 9 Ineffective heat evacuation can lead to thermal failure of foil bearings. 10,11 To improve the reliability and service life of foil bearings, it is imperative to conduct thorough analysis of their thermal characteristics and loading characteristics.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Thermal analysis and optimization of bionic cooling channels of gas foil thrust bearings

Zhao,

Yan,

Qiang

et al. 2023

Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part J:

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Under high-temperature conditions, heat evacuation of foil bearing has a significant impact on bearing performance, including loading performance and reliability. During bearing operation, viscous dissipative heat in the lubricant gas film is the main source of heat generation. For foil bearings, enhancing the heat evacuation efficiency is essential to extend the bearing service life in high-temperature environments. For heat evacuation, foil-side cooling is a very effective method. For more in-depth analysis of thermal characteristics of the foil bearing, a three-dimensional (3D) thermal-elasto-hydrodynamic (TEHD) coupling model of multi-leaf thrust foil bearing (MLTFB) with cooling channel is established in this paper. In view of the good heat transfer performance and more uniform gas velocity distribution in bionic flow channels, various bionic cooling channels of foil bearings are proposed and the structural parameters are optimized. The effects of cooling channel type, cooling channel width, span ratio, cooling gas supply mode, and rotational speed on the thermal and loading performance of foil bearings are investigated. The studies demonstrate that the spider net round cooling channel exhibits higher heat transfer performance and improved uniformity of temperature. Compared to the cooling gas supply from inner edge, the cooling gas supply from the outer edge proves to be more effective. The maximum temperature of lubricant gas film can be greatly reduced with wider cooling channels and a smaller channel span at the outer edge. The maximum temperature of lubricant gas film and bearing load are reduced as the Reynolds number of cooling gas increases. There exists an optimal Reynolds number that can achieve the highest uniformity of temperature.

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A thermo-elastic-hydrodynamic model for air foil thrust bearings considering thermal seizure and failure analyses

Cited by 12 publications

References 34 publications

Experimental and CFD analysis of a gas-lubricated foil thrust bearing for various foil configurations

Experimental and CFD analysis of a gas-lubricated foil thrust bearing for various foil configurations

Numerical Investigation of Bump Foil Configurations Effect on Gas Foil Thrust Bearing Performance Based on a Thermos-Elastic-Hydrodynamic Model

Thermal analysis and optimization of bionic cooling channels of gas foil thrust bearings

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