Theoretical and Experimental Study of Flexible Structure Tilting Pad Bearings Considering Deformation

In high-speed and heavy-load conditions, ordinary rigid tilting pad journal bearings experience significant contact stress at the pad pivot points, leading to severe pad deformation and increased wear. A flexible structure tilting pad bearing (FSTPB) is presented in this paper, using spring supports to replace the traditional pivot supports and flexible hinge supports. A theoretical calculation model for tilting pad radial journal bearings considering flexible structure deformation is established, and the impact of elastic deformation on the performance of the flexible structure tilting pad bearings is discussed. Based on theoretical research, vibration experiments on flexible tilting pad bearings under different loading conditions were conducted. The influence of various structural parameters on the vibration characteristics of the flexible tilting pad radial bearings was studied. The results indicate that, compared to ordinary tilting pad bearings, flexible structure tilting pad bearings exhibit excellent vibration reduction characteristics at high speeds. Reducing the bearing clearance, lowering the stiffness of the flexible structure, and increasing the offset angle of the flexible structure contribute to enhancing the operational stability of the bearing–rotor system.