3/9/2020 Bearing performance | The steam turbine

The Steam Turbine

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8.1.3 Bearing performance RSS

The first step towards understanding the performance of a bearing under dynamic conditions is to
know the condition of the bearing oil film in vibration; as described by Smith [9], this is different
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When a sufficiently large journal vibration is superimposed on the steady state running condition,
changes in the oil film thickness and circumferential movement of the pressure bearing oil film
take place, accompanying the movement of the journal. The way in which the oil film is
redistributed depends on the character of the vibration. This is one of the sources of complication
of the dynamics of turbine bearings. Figure 1.122 illustrates the steady running state film and
other film regimes which may apply to the pressure bearing oil film with the journal vibrating.
Figure 1.122 (a) illustrates the steady state film, with the film starting at the position of maximum
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clearance, (b) an oscillating film, (c) rotating trailing film, (d) rotating leading film and (e) rotating
transition film.
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Statistics

The oscillating-film condition, (b), is obtained when a small amplitude of vibration is superimposed
on the steady-running condition; this vibration is sustained by a fluctuating force superimposed on
the steady load. The motion of the journal axis results in both squeeze and angular swing of the
film. This oscillating-film condition is of frequent occurrence in bearings in service. It is closely
related to the steady-running condition.

In severe vibration, the journal motion may become a whirl of such large amplitude that the
position of minimum film thickness travels round the bearing with the whirl. The pressure-bearing

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3/9/2020 Bearing performance | The steam turbine
film then travels round with the journal and the operating condition is no longer closely related to
the steady running condition.

In a journal whirl of sustained magnitude at constant eccentricity, the idealised bearing is in a

condition of steady running relative to axes rotating with the whirl. There is an effective speed of
rotation, relative to these axes, of (N-2F), where N is the speed of rotation of the journal and F is
the frequency of whirl measured in the same direction. The position of formation of the pressure-
bearing film depends on the direction of the mean peripheral speed of bearing and journal relative
to the rotating axes, that is on whether N is greater or smaller than 2F.

When the frequency of whirl is less than half the journal speed, the pressure-bearing film is built
up on the trailing side of the minimum film thickness, as in Fig 1.122 (c). When the frequency of
whirl is greater than half the journal speed, the pressure-bearing film is built up on the leading
side of the minimum film thickness, as in Fig 1.122 (d). The diagrams show, for each case, the
direction of the reaction applied by the journal to the bearing.

When a rotating load is superimposed, on a much smaller steady load, there is a variation of
eccentricity during each whirl rotation, but the film regimes obtained resemble those given by
whirl of constant eccentricity.

With rotating trailing film the reaction of the bearing on the journal (opposite to the reaction just
mentioned) has a component normal to the attitude radius in the direction of the whirl. This
component tends to increase the whirl. An explanation is thus offered of why a rotating trailing
film is associated with tendency to instability. As reaction force increases and minimum film
thickness decreases, the direction of the reaction swings closer to the attitude radius, so that if
there is damping elsewhere in the system, a steady condition of whirl may be attained.

With rotating leading film the corresponding component tends to damp the whirl. A bearing in this
regime does not excite instability.

The transition between these last two conditions is of importance, because it may exhibit a sharply
resonant tendency to maintain rotor whirl when there is a natural frequency close to half running
speed. Figure 1.122 (d) gives a diagrammatic representation of this film condition; the angular
extent of the pressure-bearing film is not known.

Prediction of rotor dynamic behaviour depends on an adequate understanding of the bearing

performance, for which full-size bearing test rigs are commonly used. Dynamic behaviour can also
be influenced by the stiffness of the support structure and the effectiveness of the connection
between bearing pedestals and the turbine foundations. In this latter respect, bolting to steel
foundations is more predictable than bolting to soleplates grouted into mass concrete foundation
blocks.

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