Metal Temperature Correlations in Tilting Pad Journal Bearings

The predicted and measured bearing metal temperatures of tilting-pad journal bearings are examined. All bearings are a five-pad design with load-between-pad orientation. The two loaded pads in each bearing are instrumented with a resistance temperature detector (RTD). The bearing pad metal temperatures are measured as a part of the ISO 10439 (API 617) mechanical test requirement. Bearing pad metal temperatures are predicted using the thermoelastohydrodynamic (TEHD) analysis method. One particular bearing size 4 in. (101.6 mm) in diameter and 1.54 in. (39.12 mm) in the axial length is examined with respect to the tolerance range influence on the predicted pad metal temperatures including the effect of bearing assembled clearance and preloads. A range of loads and speeds are investigated. The temperature variation observed for this bearing size is compared against the variation in the measured temperature data for three other bearing sizes (bearing sizes are denoted by diameter × axial length) 2.95 in. (74.9 mm) × 1.02 in. (25.9 mm), 6 in. (152.4 mm) × 3 in. (76.2 mm), and 8 in. (203.2 mm) × 7 in. (177.8 mm).