Studies on the Load Carrying Capacity of a Multi-Pad Adjustable Bearing Under Misaligned Conditions

This paper deals with the effect of journal misalignment on the load capacity of a multi-pad externally adjustable bearing. Pad adjustments can be provided in radial and tilt directions. A modified film thickness equation is applied to determine the variation in film thickness under different pad adjustment conditions. Governing Reynolds equation is discretized using finite difference approximation technique. In the present study, misalignment is considered in only one plane. Variation in load capacity is analyzed for different degrees of misalignment and pad adjustment positions. An improvement in the bearing load capacity is observed by applying a combination of negative radial and negative tilt adjustment to the four bearing pads.