Rotordynamic Characterization of Tilting-Pad Bearings With Eight Pads in Vertical Rotors

It has been documented that stiffness and damping for a four-pad bearing are dependent not only on the magnitude of the load but also on the position of the rotor in the bearing. However, eight-pad bearings are not commonly employed on horizontal turbines, and the presence of several pads in the bearing will decisively affect the dynamics of the system. This paper evaluates the stiffness and damping coefficients of tilting-pad bearings with eight pads and explores the main frequencies acting on the forced response of a vertical rotor. The bearing properties were modeled as a function of eccentricity and position in the stationary coordinate system by Navier–Stokes equations whose results are taken from commercial software. The simulated unbalanced response is compared to experimental results; the changing position of the shaft produces a periodic stiffness and damping, which is dependent on the number of pads. Cross-coupled coefficients influence is discussed, showing that their absence makes an accurate model for the mean values. The results indicate that simulation of vertical rotors with eight-pad bearings can be simplified which allow more effective simulations and dynamic analysis.