Rotation shaft supporting structure with journal bearing and assembling method of the bearing

A rotation shaft supporting structure of a journal bearing, the rotation shaft supporting structure comprising:

• a cylindrical bearing housing;
• a plurality of pads that are capable of self-alignment and are circumferentially spaced along an inner surface of the cylindrical bearing housing, the plurality of pads configured to support a journal, each of the plurality of pads having a bearing surface that forms a radial clearance with a rotating surface of the journal for lubrication oil;
• radial clearance forming means provided between an inner face of an upper portion of the cylindrical bearing housing and a back face of an upper pad of the plurality of pads and at a downstream position of the upper pad in relation to a direction of rotation of the journal, the radial clearance forming means allowing the radial clearance between the bearing surface of the upper pad and the rotating surface of the journal to narrow from upstream to downstream in the direction of rotation of the journal;
• and
• a plurality of spherical pivots attached to the inner surface of the cylindrical bearing housing, each of the plurality of spherical pivots supporting one of the plurality of pads at its central zone so that the plurality of pads are swingable circumferentially and axially in relation to the journal,
• wherein the upper pad is free of a weight of the journal, and
• wherein a radial through hole is drilled in the upper portion of the cylindrical bearing housing from an outer periphery of the cylindrical bearing housing radially inwardly at such a position that the radial through hole opens facing a back face of a spherical pivot supporting the upper pad of the plurality of spherical pivots so that a depth from the outer periphery of the cylindrical bearing housing to the back face of the spherical pivot can be measured, whereby the radial clearance between the bearing surface of the upper pad and the rotating surface of the journal is adjusted based on a measurement result of the depth.

A rotation shaft supporting structure of a journal bearing, the rotation shaft supporting structure comprising:

• a cylindrical bearing housing;
• a plurality of pads that are capable of self-alignment and are circumferentially spaced along an inner surface of the cylindrical bearing housing, the plurality of pads configured to support a journal, each of the plurality of pads having a bearing surface that forms a radial clearance with a rotating surface of the journal for lubrication oil;
• radial clearance forming means provided between an inner face of an upper portion of the cylindrical bearing housing and a back face of an upper pad of the plurality of pads and at a downstream position of the upper pad in relation to a direction of rotation of the journal, the radial clearance forming means allowing the radial clearance between the bearing surface of the upper pad and the rotating surface of the journal to narrow from upstream to downstream in the direction of rotation of the journal;
• a plurality of first oil supply nozzles, each of the plurality of first oil supply nozzles located upstream of a respective one of the plurality of pads in the direction of rotation of the journal for supplying the lubrication oil to the bearing surface of the respective one of the plurality of pads;
• and
• a plurality of second oil supply nozzles that are separate from the plurality of first oil supply nozzles, each of the plurality of second supply nozzles located downstream of a respective one of the plurality of pads in the direction of rotation of the journal for preventing carryover of the lubrication oil flowed out from a downstream side end of the respective one of the plurality of pads to the bearing surface of another pad of the plurality of pads that is adjacent to the respective one of the plurality of ads and downstream of the respective one of the plurality of pads in the direction of rotation of the journal, whereby one of the plurality of first oil supply nozzles and one of the plurality of second oil supply nozzles are located between each adjacent pair of the plurality of pads,
• wherein the upper pad is free of a weight of the journal, and
• wherein each of the plurality of first oil supply nozzles has a casing part and is attached to the cylindrical bearing housing such that a side face of the casing part contacts an upstream side end face of the respective one of the plurality of pads at least in line contact with an outer side periphery of the respective one of the plurality of pads, and each of the plurality of second oil supply nozzles has a casing part and is attached to the cylindrical bearing housing such that a side face of the casing part contacts a downstream side end face of the respective one of the plurality of pads at least in line contact with the outer side periphery of the respective one of the plurality of pads, thereby each pair of the first and second oil supply nozzles serves as stoppers to prevent circumferential movement of the respective one of the plurality of pads.

A method of assembling a journal bearing having a rotation shaft supporting structure including:

• a cylindrical bearing housing;
• a plurality of pads that are capable of self-alignment and are circumferentially spaced along an inner surface of the cylindrical bearing housing, the plurality of pads configured to support a journal, each of the plurality of pads having a bearing surface that forms a radial clearance with a rotating surface of the journal for lubrication oil;
• radial clearance forming means provided between an inner face of an upper portion of the cylindrical bearing housing and a back face of an upper pad of the plurality of pads and at a downstream position of the upper pad in relation to a direction of rotation of the journal, the radial clearance forming means allowing the radial clearance between the bearing surface of the upper pad and the rotating surface of the journal to narrow from upstream to downstream in the direction of rotation of the journal;
• a plurality of spherical pivots received in recesses provided in the inner surface of the cylindrical bearing housing, each of the plurality of spherical pivots supporting one of the plurality of pads at its central zone so that the plurality of pads are swingable circumferentially and axially in relation to the journal;
• a first oil supply nozzle located upstream of the upper pad in the direction of rotation of the journal for supplying the lubrication oil to the bearing surface of the upper pad;
• and
• a second oil supply nozzle located downstream of the upper pad in the direction of rotation of the journal for preventing carryover of the lubrication oil flowed out from a downstream side end of the upper pad to the bearing surface of another pad of the plurality of pads that is adjacent to the upper pad and downstream of the upper pad in the direction of rotation of the journal,
• wherein the upper pad is free of a weight of the journal,
• wherein the first oil supply nozzle has a casing part and is attached to the cylindrical bearing housing such that a side face of the casing part contacts an upstream side end face of the upper pad at least in line contact with an outer side periphery of the upper pad, and the second oil supply nozzle has a casing part and is attached to the cylindrical bearing housing such that a side face of the casing part contacts a downstream side end face of the upper pad at least in line contact with the outer side periphery of the upper pad, thereby the first and second oil supply nozzles serve as stoppers to prevent circumferential movement of the upper pad, and
• wherein a radial through hole is drilled in the upper portion of the cylindrical bearing housing from an outer periphery of the cylindrical bearing housing radially inwardly at such a position that the radial through hole opens facing a back face of a spherical pivot supporting the upper pad of the plurality of spherical pivots so that a depth from the outer periphery of the cylindrical bearing housing to the back face of the spherical pivot can be measured, whereby the radial clearance between the bearing surface of the upper pad and the rotating surface of the journal is adjusted based on a measurement result of the depth,
• the method comprising:
• measuring the depth from the outer periphery of the cylindrical bearing housing to the back face of the spherical pivot;
• and
• placing an adjusting shim on the back face of the spherical pivot to adjust a position of a radially inward-most portion of a spherical surface of the spherical pivot in order to adjust the radial clearance between the bearing surface of the upper pad and the rotating surface of the journal.