A Finite Element Approach to Pad Flexibility Effects in Tilt Pad Journal Bearings: Part II—Assembled Bearing and System Analysis

Pad flexibility effects are studied in an actual bearing. This flexibility is shown to decrease the predicted instability onset speed of the rotor bearing system. The use of complex eigenvalue dependent bearing coefficients as compared with using synchronously reduced coefficients is seen to produce a more significant decrease in the instability onset speed. Further reductions in the instability onset speed are obtained by including pivot stiffness in the complex eigenvalue dependent bearing coefficients.