Influences of Boundary Slip on the Performance of Tiltable Thrust Pad Bearings Applied in Turbodrills

In the petroleum industry, tiltable thrust pad bearings possess favorable vibration damping and lubrication performances. Nevertheless, an increase in applied load will aggravate bearing deformation accompanied by a gradual temperature rise, which may cause surface failure of the bearing under severe operating conditions. In particular, temperature exerts the most prominent influence on the lubrication characteristics of hydrodynamic tiltable thrust pad bearings. In this paper, a mathematical model for calculating the lubrication performance parameters of sector-shaped tiltable thrust pad bearings is established, and corresponding boundary conditions are specified. On the basis of the constructed mathematical model, a calculation program for the lubrication performance of the bearing is compiled by adopting FORTRAN 90 language. The effects of thermally induced thermal stress caused by temperature variation on bearing pressure and oil film thickness are calculated, and the evolution laws of bearing lubrication performance under different temperatures and structural parameters are further obtained. By comparing the numerical calculation results with the experimental data of bearings applied in turbodrills, the accuracy of the proposed model and program is verified. The research outcomes can provide references for the design and further investigation of tiltable thrust pad bearings for turbodrills in the future.