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US 11,828,331 B2Granted
Bearing with pads having cooling micro-channels therein, and method
AssigneeNuovo Pignone Tecnologie Srl
InventorsMarco Raveggi, Stefano Franchi, Valentina Pivetta, Daniele Panara
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The bearing has a housing and a plurality of pads coupled with the housing. The pads form bearing surfaces facing a shaft receiving space. The pads are provided with cooling micro-channels formed therein, adapted to circulate lubrication fluid and improve heat removal.
Claims20
A thrust bearing for supporting a shaft rotating around a bearing axis, the thrust bearing comprising:
- a housing structure;
- a plurality of pads, each pad coupled with the housing structure and comprising:
- a bearing surface adapted to co-act with a rotary shaft supported by the bearing;
- an opposite back surface directed towards the housing structure;
- a radial leading side surface and a radial trailing side surface, the radial leading side surface and the radial trailing side surface extending radially with respect to the bearing axis;
- a shaft receiving space;
- a lubrication fluid volume between the housing structure and the shaft receiving space, wherein in operation the lubrication fluid volume is filled with lubrication fluid circulating therein,
- wherein each pad comprises a plurality of cooling micro-channels, each cooling micro-channel has an inlet end and an outlet end in fluid communication with said lubrication fluid volume and is oriented such that circulation of lubrication fluid in the lubrication fluid volume promotes flow of the lubrication fluid through the cooling micro-channels, and the inlet end of at least one of said cooling micro-channels is positioned along the radial leading side surface of the respective pad,
- wherein the bearing surface of each pad is essentially planar,
- wherein each pad has a circumferential inner side surface and a circumferential outer side surface, and
- wherein the inlet end of each cooling micro-channel is arranged at a first radial distance from the axis of the bearing and the outlet end of each cooling micro-channel is arranged at a second radial distance from the axis of the bearing, the first distance being smaller than the second distance, such that each cooling micro-channel extends radially away from the axis of the bearing from the inlet end to the outlet end, such that lubrication fluid enters each cooling micro-channel at the inlet end and exits at the outlet end of the respective cooling micro-channel moving in a radial outward direction.
8 more elements
A bearing for supporting a shaft rotating around a bearing axis, the bearing comprising:
- a housing structure;
- a plurality of pads, each pad coupled with the housing structure and comprising:
- a bearing surface adapted to co-act with the shaft;
- an opposite back surface directed towards the housing structure;
- a radial leading side surface and a radial trailing side surface, the radial leading side surface and the radial trailing side surface extending radially with respect to the bearing axis;
- and
- a shaft receiving space;
- a lubrication fluid volume between the housing structure and the shaft receiving space,
- wherein in operation the lubrication fluid volume is filled with lubrication fluid circulating therein,
- wherein each pad comprises a plurality of cooling micro-channels, each cooling micro-channel has an inlet end and an outlet end in fluid communication with said lubrication fluid volume and is oriented such that circulation of lubrication fluid in the lubrication fluid volume promotes flow of the lubrication fluid through the cooling micro-channels, and the inlet end of at least one of said cooling micro-channels is positioned along the radial leading side surface of the respective pad, and
- wherein, in a cross section of each pad according to a plane containing the axis of the bearing, the cooling micro-channels are distributed according to a matrix having rows of cooling micro-channels extending in a radial direction, a plurality of said rows being arranged sequentially along an axial direction.
8 more elements
A bearing for supporting a shaft rotating around a bearing axis, the bearing comprising:
- a housing structure;
- a plurality of pads, each pad coupled with the housing structure and comprising:
- a bearing surface adapted to co-act with the shaft;
- an opposite back surface directed towards the housing structure;
- a radial leading side surface and a radial trailing side surface, the radial leading side surface and the radial trailing side surface extending radially with respect to the bearing axis;
- and
- a shaft receiving space;
- a lubrication fluid volume between the housing structure and the shaft receiving space,
- wherein in operation the lubrication fluid volume is filled with lubrication fluid circulating therein,
- wherein each pad comprises a plurality of cooling micro-channels, each cooling micro-channel has an inlet end and an outlet end in fluid communication with said lubrication fluid volume and is oriented such that circulation of lubrication fluid in the lubrication fluid volume promotes flow of the lubrication fluid through the cooling micro-channels, and the inlet end of at least one of said cooling micro-channels is positioned along the radial leading side surface of the respective pad, and
- wherein said cooling micro-channels have an elliptical cross-sectional shape, with a major axis and a minor axis, and wherein the major axis is parallel to the axis of the bearing.
8 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.